A Different Kind of Soulmate
by Thunderstar666
Summary: After finally achieving his dream, Ash finds himself disappointed and bored. So when he and Pikachu share a mysterious dream he jumps at the chance for another adventure, one that will force him to see the world in a new light. AshPikachu, Pikashipping.
1. A Cure for Boredom

**Okay, so this is a really radical idea that I haven't seen more than hinted at anywhere else, but for some reason it really caught my fancy. It _will_ eventually become Ash/Pikachu, and as such they will be the main characters. There will be no direct human-pokemon stuff though, so don't worry about that - bestiality's nasty. The way I'm planning this, it could turn out to be a really long ride, and since it's such a radical idea, I won't continue without positive feedback. As always, helpful suggestions are always appreciated, but please don't flame. **

**And I think that's about it. Onward!**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 1: A Cure for Boredom_

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"Chu. Chu. Chu. Chu. Chu."

Ash's eyes slowly glazed over as he watched his partner systematically pluck every leaf from the towering maple with tiny, precise bolts of electricity. Every one hit at the exact right spot with the exact right amount of power needed to drop the leaf. After so much training and practice, the exercise was second nature and in no way challenging, but it provided a welcome diversion from the constant boredom.

Upon realizing that his eyes were glazed and unfocused, Ash gave his head a shake and fell down with a thump to lie on his back. The healthy green grass tickled his face and the crushed blades produced a sharp, natural smell. His gaze fixed on the blue sky and floofy white clouds, and after watching them scuttle through the sky for a while, he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.

"So bored…"

"Pi," Pikachu interrupted her mantra to agree, and turned to blink at the Master. When she realized he did not have a solution and was not about to do anything else, she went back to her repetitive exercise.

"Chu. Chu. Chu."

Ash opened his eyes again and stared once more at the sky. He tracked a lone Pidgeotto across the blueness, hearing its distinctive call and allowing it to draw him back to past recollections. He remembered his dedication to his dream, the passion and conviction behind his ambitions and ideals. While he still possessed those ideals, the ambition had come to its conclusion…and left emptiness behind.

He had always thought that being a Pokemon Master, _the_ Pokemon Master, would be another adventure. It would be exciting, it would be challenging, it would be the fulfillment of all his dreams. And it was, for a while. But now it was just boring.

After years of hard training, including an intensive month-long session in Johto's Mt. Silver, he was now justified in saying that he, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, was the best Pokemon trainer in the world. While gratifying, therein lay the problem. There are not many challenges left for one who is the proven best, who, it seems, has been everywhere and done everything. There are even less for one who has been named in prophecy.

He sighed as he recalled _that _little discovery. Things had been alright up until that point. There had been some challenges, and though he had beaten them all, it was interesting. He hadn't been Master long, and was still getting used to the position, and he thought of it as a new adventure. His friends were still around, some having not yet decided what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. They had been living off Ash's dream for so long, some had forgotten their own, and it would take a bit of time for them to recall it completely. In this setting it was that Professor Oak unearthed a battered and long-forgotten book from his ancient library. Called _Legandia_, the book claimed to detail ancient and forgotten prophecies. What was unsettling about it, and what gave it deserved distinction from other useless books of the same ilk, was that, in the foreword, it acknowledged that not all its prophecies would come to pass. Instead, it said that its goal was only to preserve the bulk of them in the hopes that the important ones could be salvaged along with the worthless. There was one, however, that the book highlighted as being extremely likely to prove true: The Prophecy of the Champions.

This particular prophecy proclaimed that every 500 years there would come two who would rise above all others. They would join in partnership, and together they would grow until they surpassed the abilities of the best of the best, and that they would be the greatest in the world. The partnership, the book said, would be of a human and a pokemon. The human was to come from an insignificant town and would not be thought a winner. The pokemon would come from equally modest beginnings, and would never appear at first sight to have any real power. It would be raised above the capabilities of the rest of its species by its special power thereby proving evolution unnecessary, and it would hold a deep fear of pokeballs. Both human and pokemon would possess loyalty and decency, and would put the safety of others before their own. And when they had grown to the limits of the world, they would embark on a final journey which would bring them closer to each other than any but the Champions could be, and set them to travel through time itself. In this way the world would stave off destruction and remain secure within the protection of its Champions.

Ash supposed it was the pokeball comment which closed the suspicions. At that point Pikachu piped up with the suggestion that it _might_ be her and Ash—Ash knew she had been joking when she said it—and Oak had immediately latched onto the idea. He dug up all the old records he could find on old prophecies, and when everything matched up with the pair—right down to Pikachu's obsession with ketchup, he made it official; Ash and Pikachu were the prophesized Champions.

After that there had been a huge drop in the number of challengers. After all, who would want to attempt to defeat a person who prophecy said was unbeatable? One who, on top of that, was foretold as the savior of the world? The answer soon became quite clear: no one.

And that was why, many months later, Ash was bored out of his mind. No challengers for months, no new discoveries by Oak _or_ Gary, and nothing to be gained by doing training exercises that had been mastered ages ago.

Ash turned his mind away from his internal ramblings and focused on the clouds. After a time he fancied he saw one that looked like a Squirtle, and another that looked like an Arbok…and finally, one that looked like a Pikachu…

Ash felt his eyes slide closed, and allowed the sleep to come, because really, there was nothing better to do.

(o. o)-/

_Ash opened his eyes and blinked in confusion. He found himself standing within a great mist. Only vaguely could he make out the shape of trees through the mist, but they were huge trees, with great reaching canopies; totally unlike the ones that had bordered his and Pikachu's little clearing. Sunlight slanted through the mist in places but illuminated nothing, merely adding another quality to the heavy mist. He looked down to his feet and was able to make out the grass, but it was a strange blue colour that only served to add to his uneasiness._

_He thought to move, but decided it would be best to wait and see if anything came to him; for there must be a reason for his coming here, and therefore something must come to him eventually. This conclusion reassured him, and he realized he was having a dream, but without being truly aware of that realization. In this way he was complacent, but did not wake, which would have happened if he had been truly aware of the dream. And so he waited, staring into the mist until something came out._

_It was a woman, he slowly realized as the figure emerged step by step from the gray shadows. A woman with strange green hair and possessing of great beauty—but a strange sort of beauty it was. Her beauty repelled and attracted at once, and it carried a warning of danger along with an assurance of safety. This strange combination made him remain where he was and discouraged movement of any sort, for that would indicate a decision of either friend or foe. _

_So he merely watched as she approached, smoothly, as though gliding over the odd blue grass. She was dressed in flowing robes, silver but shadowy, seeming to be made of mist themselves. They twisted and curled around her as though possessing a life of their own, dancing with a slow beauty. At last she stopped advancing and seemed to settle her robes, and Ash was finally able to remove his eyes from her lively gown and back to her face, where green eyes pierced into his own black._

_"Ash," she began in a voice that sounded like wind whispering through leaves on a tree. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."_

_"How…" Ash's voice stuttered to a stop and he cleared his throat and glanced to the ground for composure before trying again. "How do you know who I am?"_

_"You ask me that, you who are known to the world!" There was a laugh like wind chimes, and in that moment Ash decided that this woman was not an enemy, and that the danger he had seen was merely a difference from himself, but not necessarily bad. The woman continued in a more serious tone. "You are known to the world, but I know the world. I know every person within it, but I have watched you especially."_

_"Pika?" Ash started; he had not known Pikachu was there. _

_"Yes, and you as well, Pikachu," the woman smiled._

_"Well, if you know who we are, then shouldn't we know who you are?" Ash questioned, having grown more confident as a result of the belief that the mysterious woman was benevolent._

_The woman sighed as if it was a difficult question. "I am everything and nothing, one thing and many. I exist in the past, present, and future, and belong in none. I am the mistress of Time itself; and that is all the answer I may give you."_

_"Okay," Ash said, with all the understanding acceptance of the weird that being in a dream will give you. "What do you want, then?"_

_Time's mistress smiled once again. "I wish merely to help you with your current dilemma."_

_"Chu?" Pikachu looked confused, and Ash was of the same mind._

_"You are uncertain how to take your next step. You are beginning to doubt you _have_ a next step." She waited for their slow, hesitant nods of affirmation, and then continued. "As it is highly unlikely you could proceed on your own, I will provide you with direction. Whether or not you heed it will confirm or disprove you of what you are foretold to be."_

_"And that would be…?" Ash had never truly believed the decaying little book, and was hesitant to think this mysterious woman believed it and would confirm it._

_"Why, you have read the prophecy, have you not? You are the Champions, of course." Ash stared blankly at her a moment, and she looked surprised. "Don't tell me you disbelieved it!"_

_Ash shook his head slowly. "Not anymore…" For it was true; if this magical mistress of Time said it was so, then it was so._

_"Pika pika, pikachu!" Ash grinned slightly—Pikachu was getting impatient with his denseness and asking for the directions._

_"Very well, little one," Time's mistress said pleasantly. "Here is the direction you wish. You two alone must climb to the highest peak in the world and be there when the moon is full. If you do this, the next stage of your journey shall begin."_

_"What, no riddles, no mysterious hints?" Ash teased, suspicious of the simple directions._

_"Oh no, I am much too busy, and lazy I might add, for that. Besides, I did not think you would appreciate it."_

_"Cha!"_

_"Yeah, thanks," Ash agreed._

_"I am glad to have been of service. We will meet again, Champions." _

(o. o)

Ash woke slowly, the struggle to wakefulness akin to the feeling of wading through a dense mist. He finally became fully conscious but retained a sense of being swallowed by something grey. Blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes, he became aware of a weight on his chest, something yellow. As he watched it stirred, uncurling slightly to reveal a tail shaped like a thunderbolt and two long yellow, black-tipped ears. Small paws shifted on his stomach and the body righted itself. A mouth opened to reveal sharp white teeth and a little red tongue, and a soft, cooing "cha" of contentment was emitted. Beady black eyes blinked; bright red cheeks twitched. A hind foot reached up to scratch a back marked by two brown stripes, and a tiny black nose sniffed at the air. Pikachu was awake.

"Buddy," Ash began as he sat up and picked up Pikachu so she wouldn't fall, "you didn't happen to have a weird dream just now about a woman with green hair, did you?"

Pikachu looked up at him, and there was no mistaking the disturbed expression in those black eyes. He hugged his partner to him and the pokemon snuggled into the embrace.

"Well," Ash said at last into Pikachu's fur, "at least we won't be bored any more. Hey!" Ash jumped up as the full meaning of his words hit him, holding Pikachu out in front of him—the better to talk to—and ignoring the claws that tried to cling to his shirt. "We won't be bored anymore! It's a new adventure, Pikachu! We're not done yet!"

"Pipika, pikachu pika!" Pikachu cheered, her face filled with a delight identical to her master's. Then she frowned. "Pi chu, Pikapi."

Ash sighed. "You're right, we were never done, but it sure felt like it for a while there. It was just a lull; one of us would have done something crazy sooner or later to get us out of it."

Pikachu grinned. "Pika!"

Ash returned with a grin of his own, and without warning, dropped his oldest pokemon and best friend. Pikachu twisted in order to land on her feet, and by the time she was stable, Ash was already running.

"Race you back home!" he yelled back over his shoulder. "Winner gets first dibs on Mom's pie!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called her trainer's name in protest at his head start, but wasted no time in giving chase, and soon boy and pokemon were dashing through the forest, each one focused on getting home first.

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**This is my cue for a final plea for reviews. Even if all you have to say is yes or no, I will still be eternally grateful. And I will thank you in advance, because I know you're all really great people. :)**


	2. Preparations

**Thanks so much to everyone for your reviews! I'm so glad there's some interest in this story, and I will do my best to live up to your expectations. But I must warn you that I am a _very_ slow writer, and it's only because I had some of this chapter done already that you get it so soon. So don't kill me if the updates are a wee bit sluggish. **

**This one's a bit longer, hope you like it!**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 2: Preparations_

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Ash and Pikachu walked into the house, still arguing about who had won the impromptu race. Pikachu, taking a ride on Ash's shoulder, looked smug and content, while Ash appeared a bit miffed and had a distinctly singed air about him. Ash headed toward the couch in the middle of the closest room and flopped down onto it, forcing Pikachu to abandon his shoulder. The electric mouse settled herself on his lap and their argument continued without interruption.

"I still say that shock was totally against the rules, even if I did get a head start. Besides, it's the right of the one who starts the race to get a head start. Didn't we already agree on that?"

"Pikachu, ka pika pi pikachu."

"Oh, come on, I didn't drop you that far, and—"

"Pika! Chu, pika kachu!"

"Fine, alright. The drop combined with my head start was unfair. But so was faking being attacked and drowning, and then giving me a water-conducted shock!"

"Chu…" Pikachu had the grace to be ashamed. "Pipika, pikachu."

"Just because you've given me worse doesn't mean it didn't hurt! And although I have become partially immune to electricity thanks to you that was still a pretty nasty jolt."

"Pipika…pikachu chu pi pichu Pikapi."

At that, Ash's face softened. "You're my best friend, Pikachu, and I would do anything for you. Just don't pull that trick again; it might make me hesitate when you really are in trouble."

"Pipika…pichu, Pikapi.."

Ash grinned and ruffled Pikachu's fur. "Yeah yeah, I love you too, you're forgiven. Now where's that pie?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, sniffing the air in hopes of smelling pie.

Ash rose from the couch, Pikachu leaping back to his shoulder, and wandered into the kitchen. There, on the fridge, next to a crayon drawing of a Squirtle Ash drew when he was 6—"Why does she still have that?" Ash complained to Pikachu for the millionth time—was a note in his mother's handwriting.

_Gone to the Professor's, wasn't sure when you'd be back. Come over __when you're done, I'm sure you're bored, and your pokemon __miss you. Oh, and I brought Mr. Mime with me,__so don't worry about him._

_-----Mom_

Ash shrugged, momentarily dislodging Pikachu, and said, "Well, I guess we're off to the lab, then. No time like the present to get our directions, I suppose."

"Chu…" Pikachu replied with a definite lack of enthusiasm.

Ash reached up to give Pikachu an ear scratch, eliciting a cooing "cha" of pleasure. "Come on, buddy, it won't be that bad. What's the worst they can say? Besides, it's not such a crazy idea and they know we've been bored out of our minds for months."

"Pikapi…" Pikachu shook her head slowly at his forgetfulness.

"You know something I don't?"

"Chupi."

"…'Maybe'? Whatever, you'll see, they'll be fine with it. They'll completely understand, and we'll be off and running as fast as you can say your name."

"Pikachu."

"Not funny."

(o. o)-/

"Absolutely not."

"Professor…!"

"Ash, that mountain is dangerous! Only the best mountain climbers dare attempt it! You have no experience in that field and it would be suicide to go!"

"Fine, then I'll get a pokemon to fly me up and—"

"Not possible. The air is too thin at the top to allow any sort of physical exertion. No, your going is absolutely out of the question."

Ash could only stare. This was not going at all like he had expected. Although judging from Pikachu's hysterical laughter at his dumfounded expression when the Professor had first shown resistance, the yellow pokemon _had_ been expecting it. He supposed that this was what she had meant by that 'maybe'.

Oak had revealed that the highest mountain in the world was located near Lavender City, and that the full moon was less than a week away. That gave Ash very little time to get to his place unless he wanted to wait another month, which was certainly not happening. At the first his mother had seemed disturbed but resigned at the idea of him going, and remained so, knowing that her son had to do something to relieve himself of the boredom.

Professor Oak, however, was proving to be difficult. He maintained that it was a suicide mission that he was in no way going to approve. To Ash's disappointment he remained firm, even after most of the shared dream was revealed. Oak's thought was that although it was very interesting, it was not so unheard of for two people who spend a lot of time together to have similar dreams. Never mind that it had never before happened to Ash and Pikachu in their 10+ years of constant companionship, it was still a likely possibility.

Ash sighed. He was at a loss. In desperation he turned to Pikachu, hoping that by some miracle she would have an idea. To his great surprise her ears perked up at his whispered plea for help and with a twitch of her tail, she fled from the room.

"Pikachu!" he called hopelessly after her retreating form. When he received no response, he sighed again and shook his head. "What is she up to now…?" he muttered under his breath before turning once more to the others. He had to trust that his pal had thought up some sort of plan and just keep them talking until she got back.

(o. o)

Pikachu dashed through the grass, eyes alert for a telltale bush of brown hair which would signify her prey. Suddenly the field sloped downward and the grass was above her head, cutting off any chance of sighting her goal. Pikachu paused, and standing up on her hind legs, peeked over the top of the grass. It was times like these that she thought maybe being a Raichu wouldn't be so bad…

Pikachu immediately clamped down on that thought, sparks shooting from her cheeks unconsciously. She had only to remember the battle against Lt. Surge to recall all her dislike of the evolved form of her species. She shook her head forcefully against any thoughts about the advantages of being a Raichu, reminding herself that she was stronger now, faster, that she and Ash together had beaten two who should have been stronger…

"Pikapi…" she whispered quietly to herself, and sank down again on her haunches. It was because of Ash, she realized, that she had been able to come this far, had been able to become stronger than any Raichu. Likewise, she was certain he realized that he owed much of his success to her, but Pikachu knew he could never fully understand how much he had done for her. The nightmare that had haunted her every day since she was captured until she met Ash, was that she would end up with a cruel, unforgiving trainer. One who would force her to remain inside a pokeball, who would make her dislike being in the outside world if it meant being around them. That nightmare had festered while she was inside her pokeball, just waiting for her new trainer to arrive. It was one of the reasons she was so afraid of the balls, a fear not helped any by her freedom with Ash.

Instead of her nightmare, she had wound up with Ash, and her travels since had convinced her of how truly lucky she was; not only of having such a great trainer, but of being so close to him as well. Pikachu loved her Pikapi with all her heart, and she knew her feelings were returned. Her travels had also shown her that not many pokemon could claim the same relationship and contentment with their trainer.

A branch snapped suddenly to Pikachu's left and rudely disrupted her thoughts. With lightning reflexes, she spun around and jumped back, narrowly avoiding being pounced on by a sleek persian almost five times her size. The persian sat, all dignity, its tail lashing angrily. Pikachu crouched low to the ground, ears flat against her head, and allowed sparks to shoot from her cheeks to show her annoyance.

"What is your problem?" she hissed, the words of course coming out in various twists of 'Pikachu'. "You could hurt someone doing that!"

"That was the point," the persian sneered, its words coming out in a string of purrs and growls. "Or are you so ignorant as to be unfamiliar with the concept of a battle?"

Pikachu was so shocked she forgot her anger for the moment. Her ears pricked up and she rose slightly from the ground with curiosity. "You mean you would battle without a trainer? You enjoy fighting that much?"

"Enjoy it? Please." The persian favoured Pikachu with a long pitying look, like the look someone would give to a person who believed the sky was purple. "I live for it. We all do. It is our reason for being alive, to fight others and grow stronger so we can fight even more. The sooner you accept that, young one, the more likely it is you will survive."

"Young?" Pikachu was once again surprised. Being over ten, she was hardly young by Pikachu standards. She cocked her head in confusion, ignoring the rest of the cat's speech for the moment.

"Yes, you are young, for all that the young like to think themselves old. You cannot be more than three years at best." The persian continued to stare at her condescendingly.

"Huh." Pikachu resisted the urge to analyze this comment as meaning more than a simple mistake by a pokemon that had probably only seen one Pikachu in its entire life, and focused on the present. She turned over the cat's previous statement in her mind. "So you actually believe our purpose for existing is only to fight?"

"Of course not," the persian replied, maintaining her condescending attitude. Pikachu was baffled; she had thought she had understood it. "We exist also to serve the humans, and to dedicate our lives to whatever cause they decide is worthy."

"That's not true! Trainers are our friends! They care about us, and we're not their slaves like you seem to think."

"And see how the youth proudly display their ignorance!" The persian laughed cruelly at Pikachu's defense of the humans. "No, all we are to humans are tools, to be used and discarded. How long has it been since you've seen your trainer? How long will it be until you finally accept that he has abandoned you? For me, it took two years before I realized that he was not coming back. I have been here five years now, and have not seen my _trainer_ since that day seven years ago when he ripped me from my forest home. No, trainers are not our friends; they are our slave-drivers."

"My trainer is my best friend and I am his; and that will never change, no matter what you may think," Pikachu stated firmly, ignoring the rustlings of unease in her stomach. The persian's story perfectly described her old nightmare of a bad trainer. And while Ash _was_ different, and very special, she could not ignore that he had done much the same with many of his old pokemon, at least before he became the Master. Although he had never left any alone for as long as this persian had been abandoned, he had left some at Oak's for quite some time, so long in fact that Pikachu herself had almost forgotten about them. Pidgeot came immediately to mind; she had been reclaimed some months after Ash became the Master, and although the bird had been happy to see her trainer again, Pikachu could tell she had become a bit feral and was wary of the human who used to be her friend. She was better now, but Pikachu sensed there was still a lingering resentment about being left for so long, and even now Ash and Pidgeot were not as close as they had been.

"Believe what you will," the persian said finally, and with only a single lash of its tail for warning, sprang from a standstill directly toward Pikachu. Pikachu, though surprised, leapt agilely out of the way.

"Fine," Pikachu declared, incensed enough by the persian's words to agree to a battle. "Let this battle decide whether trainers are the friends or enemies of pokemon."

Gathering her energy, Pikachu paused, and the persian, seeing an opportunity, attempted another pounce. As soon as the cat jumped, the little yellow mouse rocketed from the ground like an uncoiled spring, leaving a silvery trail of energy behind her. The persian saw the attack and attempted to twist in midair to avoid it. Pikachu, however, saw the evasion coming, and latched onto the persian's tail as it flew by. The big cat landed softly on all four paws, seemingly unconcerned. Pikachu gave it an evil smile that made it hesitate as it was lifting a paw to swipe at her…and in that moment of hesitation, Pikachu let loose the thunder in her heart.

"CHUUUU!" The electricity built up in the pokemon's body exploded outward, frying the attached persian. When Pikachu decided the cat had learned its lesson and cut off the flow of electricity, the other wobbled on its feet, let out one pitiful mew, and collapsed. Pikachu leapt clear and stared at the cat. She crept closer, studying the persian intently, worried that she had overdone it.

Suddenly a huge paw lashed out, and Pikachu again reacted with lightning reflexes and jumped away. The persian leapt to its feet, swayed, seemed about to fall down again, then hissed at Pikachu and dashed away through the grass. Pikachu sat back on her haunches, satisfied.

"Whoa!" Pikachu's ears perked up at the sound of a human yell from the direction the persian had gone. "What the…?"

Gary Oak stumbled into the little clearing of stamped down grass Pikachu and the persian had made, looking confused and worried.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu yelled, overjoyed to have her quarry find _her_.

"Pikachu?" If anything, Gary looked more confused. "Well, I guess that explains the flash I saw…and if it was you I suppose the persian deserved it." Pikachu nodded happily, and he frowned as something else occurred to him. "But if you're here, then where's Ash?"

"Pikapi pikachu pika pika," Pikachu explained, then darted quickly into the grass and out again, hoping Gary would get the idea. She repeated the process for good measure.

"Okay, you know I don't understand Pika-speak like Ash does. But I should follow you, right?" At Pikachu's encouraging nod, he waved his arm around vaguely. "Lead the way then."

"Pika!" Pikachu happily set off through the grass, keeping a pace Gary could match. She sighed in disappointment, knowing a race was too advanced for him. On the bright side, though, it wasn't far to the lab.

(o. o)-/

Ash turned to look behind him hopefully as he heard the door to the lab open. To his surprise Gary walked in, followed closely by Pikachu. On seeing him, Pikachu yelled a quick "Pikapi!" and dashed toward him, jumping up to his shoulder and giving him an affectionate nuzzle. Ash grinned and gave her a small scratch.

"We spend way too much time together, you know that?" At his friend's soft question, he explained. "Well, you're acting like you missed me, and you were gone what? Fifteen minutes?"

"Chu," Pikachu whispered, giving him a tiny shock as a rebuke for suggesting such a thing. It didn't hurt at all, and was actually more energizing than anything. His grin widened and he mentioned the energizing effect to Pikachu.

"**Chu.**" Pikachu gave him a more forceful shock, one that definitely stung.

"Okay, okay, I give. We don't spend too much time together."

"Chaa," Pikachu cooed in satisfaction. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time away from her Pikapi, not that they were ever really apart currently. But that was the way she liked it.

"Hey. Lovebirds. Over here." Ash and Pikachu both turned towards Gary and gave him identical glares. He shrugged. "Eh, it caught your attention, didn't it?"

Ash sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Yeah, I just don't want to argue with them anymore. They're giving me a headache." _They_ were now Oak _and_ his mother. Having seen a possibility of changing the mind of her son, his mom had joined in shortly after Pikachu left. She was slowly being more convinced of the dangers by Oak even as Ash was trying to convince them both how safe it would be. When she had joined in, he would have given up were it not for Pikachu's plan. Even so, arguing with both of them was like beating his head against a brick wall.

"What are you arguing about?" Ash quickly explained and Gary nodded.

"So Gramps," Gary began, turning to Oak. "Basically you don't want Ash to go on this little quest thing because it might be dangerous, right?" Both Oak and Ash's mother nodded. "Well, I think he should go."

"Gary—" Gary quickly cut Oak off before he could start to argue.

"Wait. The way I see it is that Ash's previous journeys have been way more dangerous than a little mountain climbing. And I know you're going to say that it's more important now that Ash remain safe and available for challenges, but let's face it. He's not going to get any for a while, and I could easily fill in for Ash-y boy here if someone _does_ come." Gary ignored the nasty glare from Ash and continued, focused solely on Oak. "Plus, now that he's the Master, he's able to take care of himself, right?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Also, this journey was called for through a shared dream by some mystical weirdo, right? Don't you think she would make sure they at least get there? And she mentioned them as the Champions, didn't she? You know Ash never bought the whole prophecy thing, and if he didn't, it's a pretty safe bet Pikachu didn't either. So why would they both have a dream about some woman who was convinced they were actually prophesized heroes? That's gotta give her some credit towards being real. And I know you believed the Champions thing. You can't pick and choose what to believe. If you're going to buy into the supernatural mojo, you have to go for it all. It was your conviction that has Ash bored out of his mind and challenge-less, by the way. It's the least you can do to let him check this out. It could be something important."

"But…"

"And, let's not forget what could be discovered! This journey might lead him to discover a whole new land! Think of the research opportunities, Gramps!"

"Well, I admit there _are _beneficial aspects…"

"So then, what d'ya say? Give Ashy boy a chance?"

"I suppose with the proper precautions in place it wouldn't be too risky…"

"Thanks Gramps!" Gary flashed a smile at the Professor, then turned and winked at Ash. "The trick is to not let him talk," he whispered conspiratorially.

Ash could only shake his head in silent awe. He had watched as Gary had broken down Oak's resolve step by step, never giving an inch. Even though Ash had argued many of the same points only minutes before, Gary's steamroller style of arguing had done something Ash couldn't have managed. His old rival listed out his arguments in a smooth, sensible procession, never letting the other get a word in edgewise, and had made it less of an argument than an explanation; an explanation that was set out to be so logical that only a fool would want to argue with it. And, once Oak was down, Ash's mother easily swayed back to her original resigned opinion.

"Heh, I know, I'm amazing," Gary preened, guessing correctly at the direction of Ash's thoughts. "If you're lucky you might get half as good someday."

Ash was too impressed to take offense. "You really are more of a researcher," he told his former rival. Following that thought to its logical conclusion, Ash grinned. "You're gonna be great."

"Thanks," Gary replied, matching Ash's grin. "The way I see it, I got some catching up to do; you're already great."

"Yeah, well, that's just because you started late," Ash pointed out, brushing aside the compliment. "If you had chosen to be a researcher from the start, I'm sure I'd have been left in the dust."

"Nah," Gary said solemnly, shaking his head. "I needed to get that out of the way first. Besides, where would my confidence be without being able to stomp you all those times?"

"Hah! As if you ever needed any help with confidence! You had your own cheering squad!"

"No, no, no," Gary again shook his head, this time with mock gravity. "Don't you see? They were only there to cover up for my crippling lack of self-confidence."

Ash adopted a supportive expression and gave Gary a pat on the back. "There, there, friend. _I_ believe in you."

"Thanks." Gary and Ash stared at each other for a moment and simultaneously lost the battle to remain serious and burst into laughter.

"Pika pika, pikachupi!" Pikachu chirped happily from her perch on Ash's shoulder. Wiping laughter-induced tears from his eyes, Ash gave Pikachu a smile.

"Hey," Gary said, not wanting to be excluded. "What'd she say?"

"She said she's glad we're friends again." Ash paused, then grinned at Gary. "I am too."

"Me too." Gary grinned back at Ash, much more seriously than before. He paused, then, "You're a good friend, Ash."

"You are too. Thanks for the help back there," the Pokemon Master added, gesturing toward Oak.

"No problem. What are friends for?" They exchanged grins once more, then a sound made them both turn towards Ash's mother. They found her sniffing and wiping her eyes. Concerned, Ash took a step in her direction.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, smiling at them both. "It's just…you've both grown so much."

"Mom…"

"I'm so proud of you both. I know you'll become even greater than you are now."

"Thanks Mom." Ash smiled at his mother, touched where he would have been embarrassed only a few years ago.

"Yeah, thanks," Gary added, pleased despite himself.

"Now, Ash," Oak interrupted, once more making his presence known. "Although it seems I have agreed to this mission, you will need to take some basic precautions. Come with me, I have some things to give you. And bring Pikachu."

"As if she would let me leave her behind," Ash chuckled. "Let's see it then!" Oak nodded and walked deeper into the lab. Ash followed happily, his mind occupied only with his success.

(o. o)

Ash soon learned that Professor Oak's definition of 'basic' was very inclusive. He left the lab bogged down with so much gear he could barely walk. And it wasn't just him; Pikachu trailed along behind him dragging a bag almost twice her size. Her grumbling complaints from behind him mixed with the nasty sounds the bag was making as it was dragged over the lumpy ground.

The problem, besides the fact that they could barely walk, much less climb a mountain with all the equipment, was that very little of it was useful to survive. Most of the equipment was for research purposes only. Gary had (hopefully unknowingly) set off a time bomb when he mentioned Ash could discover a new land. Professor Oak had not been able to decide what he would need, and had eventually given it all to Ash with the implied message that the trainer would eliminate what was unnecessary—which was, in Ash's opinion, all of it. Unfortunately he had still needed to haul the stuff out of the lab to put the Professor's mind at rest. Equally unfortunately, his mother had gotten tired of waiting for them to come out and had left earlier, leaving her unable to help them with their load.

Judging them to be halfway home, Ash groaned and collapsed on the ground. He sat there, panting, as Pikachu laboriously made her way over to him and, with a similar groan, collapsed on his stomach. For a moment the two lay there, staring up at the blue sky and the floofy white clouds. Ash was reminded of doing the same just that morning, and was for a moment stunned that it was still the same day. He sighed, tired but strangely exhilarated after so much action.

"Look, that one looks like a Charizard," he said to Pikachu, trying to find something to take their minds off their exhaustion. He was sure he would be able to sleep for at least a year after today.

"Pikachu, pika pi-pikachu." Ash laughed.

"You're insane. How is that a Tentacool?"

"Piiika, pi-pikachu, chu pii chaaa," Pikachu explained, waving her paw around vaguely to accompany her words. Ash laughed again and placed both hands behind his head in a more relaxed position than the random flop he had been in previously.

"Whatever, pal. I still don't see it."

"Pika," his friend grumbled. She shifted around as well until she was lying on the ground with her head on his stomach to look up at the sky. They lay there for a while longer, one occasionally pointing out a cloud that looked like something, the other always disagreeing. After a while the wind picked up by a tiny bit and the clouds began to move faster. Although Ash remained oblivious, Pikachu picked up on it. Her tail twitched in uneasiness and she sat up, ears twisting in the wind. Ash also sat up in response to his friend's uneasiness.

"Pikachu? What's up?"

"Pikachu-pi pi pikachu," Pikachu replied, still staring at the sky.

"A storm? You sure?" Ash was unconvinced, but he had learned to trust Pikachu in these matters. He dragged himself to his feet and once again shouldered the huge bag. "Well, let's get home then."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed regretfully, and, gripping the handle of her bag in both paws, began to walk slowly and painfully towards the house. After a moment Ash followed, happy to let his friend lead the way.

The pair stumbled through the door of the house just as the gathering storm clouds had begun to make threatening noises. Ash tossed his monster bag inside, narrowly missing Pikachu, and slammed the door quickly before the gusting wind could cause _too_ much chaos. He then slid down the door to sit on the floor, panting. Pikachu similarly slumped against his leg, also breathing heavily and eyeing Ash's bag suspiciously, having been almost crushed by it recently.

"Piii…" the mouse breathed, annoyed and completely exhausted by their journey. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of steady breathing and avoid dwelling on the final dash they had been forced to make at the end to avoid the rain. She couldn't find a part of her body that didn't hurt or wouldn't hurt as soon as it recovered from the numbness.

"I know," Ash moaned with sympathetic pain. "Ow." He attempted to move his arm and failed miserably with a painful groan. He glared fiercely at his bag, convinced it had grown at least thirty pounds heavier during the trip just to spite him. He attempted to kick at it for revenge but his leg, like his arm, refused to cooperate.

"You know, pal," he began, "we're going to have to move at some point."

"Chu…" Pikachu tried to give him a small shock for suggesting such a thing, but it came out as a tiny burst of static that got absorbed completely by his pants. Ash laughed but it quickly turned into a groan of pain. This, in turn, caused Pikachu to laugh, with similar effects. Ash's only response to Pikachu's experience was a grimace.

"This is sad," Ash observed, after a length of time had passed and they still hadn't moved, despite their breathing having returned to normal. "Hey, shouldn't Mom be around?"

"Pikachu pi," Pikachu sighed, slumping even more in an effort to show her trainer just how incredibly opposed she was to the idea of moving.

"You're right," Ash sighed, defeated. "She's probably sleeping and we shouldn't wake her just because we're too pitiful to get up and move ourselves."

"Pika, pi-pika pi," Pikachu defended, too tired to actually put any emotion into the argument.

"You know it's true," Ash argued back, equally dispassionate. "This is pitiful. Come on, we'll leave this stuff here and just go straight to bed. At least you don't have to change."

"_Pika…_!" Pikachu was so disturbed by this proposition that she found the strength to put some emphasis on her words.

"It's only one flight of stairs, Pikachu, how bad can it be?" Now determined, Ash staggered up from his sitting position, forcing Pikachu to move as well.

_Famous last words_, the yellow pokemon thought as she reluctantly followed her optimistic trainer.

Pikachu was proved to be correct when, thirty minutes later, the two staggered into Ash's room and flopped down on the bed, completely exhausted. The stairs, even with long and frequent rest breaks, had sapped the last of their strength, and Ash gave up his plans to change and brush his teeth with little resistance. Both pokemon and trainer, the two Champions of the world, fell asleep within seconds of hitting the pillow.

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**Heh, that last bit was fun to write. And yeah, the Gary bit was uber-sappy, but I really couldn't see it any other way. Sorry. XD Thank you for reading, and if you really want to make my day, review!**


	3. Green Eyed Monster

**Chappie 3 is here! A big thanks to Coranth and imagine100perc, who took the time to review. I've finally cleared a really nasty block, so hopefully the chapters will go a bit faster now...although it looks like the _real_ plot won't show itself until Chapter 6 or so... I seem to have the inability to stick to one specific plot.  
**

**This one's even longer than the last - hopefully it'll be satisfactory.**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 3: Green-Eyed Monster_

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The next day found the friends knocking on the door to Oak's lab bright and early in the morning. Too excited to sleep, and feeling totally rejuvenated, they had wanted to set out as early as possible. They had already said their goodbyes to Ash's Mom, who only looked on this as one journey in many, and felt that it was way overdue. Consequently, she was not very worried, and their goodbye was not particularly heart wrenching or long. And when not bogged down with tons of research equipment, the distance to Oak's lab was not quite as horrible as they had remembered.

The door was answered fairly quickly and opened to reveal a cheerful professor. Apparently all the talk of new discoveries had been enough to override his concern for Ash's safety.

"Ash, Pikachu!" he greeted cheerfully. "Come in! I suppose you have all the supplies for your journey with you already?"

In reply Ash shrugged his shoulder to display his backpack and passed Oak to enter the lab. Oak followed and eventually led the trainer to the pokemon storage area.

"So Ash," Oak began, "have you given any thought as to what pokemon you will bring with you?"

"Well…" Ash scratched his head in uncertainty as he stared up at the towering rows of pokeballs. "Sort of…but I'm still not sure which one."

"One?" Oak looked puzzled. "Does that mean you'll only be taking one other pokemon with you?" Ash glanced at Oak, a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah…" he replied hesitantly. He then attempted to explain, "I'll have my strongest pokemon with me anyways." Pikachu gave a chirp at this, happy with the praise. "And the woman said it had to be me and Pikachu _alone_, and it would be a lot easier to transfer one other back when we get there rather than five. So basically all I know is that whoever it is, they have to be strong where Pikachu is weak, in case we run into any trouble."

"Hmmm," Oak rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, that seems to point to either a grass or water pokemon." His gaze settled on a pokeball and his eyes lit up. "I know! How about Bayleef? She's a grass type, and she's so attached to you, I'm sure she'd love to go."

"Alright, yeah!" Ash also perked up, happy at the decision. "Bayleef it is!"

Oak nodded and punched some numbers into the keyboard of the computer console nearby. A mechanical arm reached around and plucked out a seemingly random pokeball from the masses. Oak picked it up and held it out to Ash, who took it.

Pikachu stared at the ball in Ash's hand with some misgivings. She remembered how jealous Bayleef had been of her and Pikapi's closeness, and she was not exactly ecstatic at the prospect of the grass pokemon being their only other companion on this journey. Undoubtedly Bayleef would be out more when it was just the three of them, and would seek to take Pikachu's place in Ash's affections whenever she could. While Pikachu was confident that her best friend would not abandon her, it would certainly mean less time together, just the two of them. Those were the times when Pikachu was happiest, and she was loath to give up even a moment.

She must have made some outward sign of her discontent, because Ash turned to her with slight concern to ask if she thought there was a problem with bringing Bayleef. Pikachu gave herself an inward shake and reminded herself that Bayleef was strong, otherwise nice, and extremely loyal to Ash, all in all the best pokemon for the job, not to mention her type advantages. _And_, she forced herself to acknowledge, _I spend all my time with Pikapi. It's rare for Bayleef to be able to spend time with her trainer. She'll love this, and the least I can do is to let her have his attention for a little while. I have it all the time; surely it won't be so bad to lose a little of it?_

"Kachu," Pikachu reassured Ash, adopting a false cheerfulness to cover her uncertain feelings.

"Alright, if you're sure you don't have a problem with it," Ash conceded, shooting her a glance even as he turned his head away, not completely buying her answer. He assumed she would tell him whatever it was eventually if it was important, and if it was really something major, that she wouldn't have tried to hide it. With a small grin returning to his face, he rolled the red and white ball around in his hand and gave it a small toss.

"Bayleef, I choose you!"

The ball split down the middle in midair and opened as if on hinges, releasing a jagged white light. The light uncurled itself from the ball and leapt down to the floor, beginning to form a shape. Ash opened his hand in reflex and caught the falling, empty ball that had been abandoned by the light which had now very definitely settled into the shape of a bayleef. Now still, the bright white glow quickly faded, revealing the green and yellow creature.

"Bay!" the creature chirped in greeting even before realizing where she was. With the greeting done, however, she was free to examine her surroundings. She blinked in the bright glare of the lab lights and looked confused for a second before her eyes settled on Ash. With a joyous shout of recognition, she ran towards him for a hug. Ash happily complied and gave her a hug around her long neck as she snuggled her head, leaf and all, against his chest. Pikachu settled down on Ash's shoulder and tried not to dig her claws in _too_ much.

"Glad to see you too," Ash told her when they had separated. He grinned and tilted his head to the side in mock consideration. "Me and Pikachu are going on a little trip. Want to come?"

"Bay bay!" She nodded enthusiastically to his offer. Then she tilted her head to the side in question. "Bayleef bay?" she asked, gesturing to herself, Ash and Pikachu.

"Um, yeah, it'll just be the three of us," Ash confirmed, guessing correctly at her meaning. "Still up for it?"

"Bay!" she cheered, going in for another hug. Pikachu's ears flattened.

"It's good to see that you two are still so close," Professor Oak commented once their second hug had ended. "It will certainly help you on this journey to have two pokemon who are so strongly attached to you."

"Pika!" Pikachu piped up, hearing herself mentioned. But her contribution only got her a quick glance from Ash before he was focused on Bayleef again.

"You bet!" Ash agreed, giving Bayleef a scratch. "It's gonna be great!"

"Bayleef baybay!" Bayleef also agreed, even more enthusiastically.

"Pi…pikachu," Pikachu muttered to herself, turning away so Ash wouldn't hear her. As they said their goodbyes to the Professor and left the lab, heading for Viridian City, the next town over, she let her sarcastic words echo in her head. _Yeah…great._

(o. o)-/

"Pikachu? Are you okay, pal?"

"Pi?" Pikachu answered a question with a question, sounding confused. She lifted her head from where it had been resting against Ash's neck and looked at him questioningly.

"It's just that you're being so quiet, and you've been sitting there all day…" Ash explained. He was worried. Pikachu had said almost nothing since they left Pallet Town, and when she did speak she sounded almost sulky. Ash had been forced to talk and play only with Bayleef since he could hardly get Pikachu to say a word, and that had only seemed to annoy her further. He couldn't understand it. And she hadn't once moved from his shoulder, even when they stopped for a short rest. Usually she liked to do a bit of her own exploring whenever they went anywhere, or at the very least she would walk beside him for part of the way. He would have thought she was sick except for the sulkiness he detected on the rare occasions that she spoke. Like now.

"Pika!" she responded almost angrily to his concern. She vaulted off his shoulder and dashed into the woods on the side of the trail without even so much as a backward glance.

Ash shook his head. He knew what she was doing; she was picking on his concern by doing exactly what he said she should be. She was going off on her own, presumably to explore, or, perhaps more likely with her current state of mind, to sulk.

If it was anyone else, Ash's thoughts would be to leave them alone and let them work it out themselves, and hopefully they would eventually tell him what was wrong. But it wasn't anyone else. It was Pikachu, his best friend, and he couldn't just let it be and hope it worked itself out. The only thing he could think of was that whatever had been bothering her back at the lab was worse, and it really worried him that she wouldn't tell him what it was. It hurt, that she wouldn't trust him with it when he had thought they shared everything.

Bayleef butted her head against his arm and moved up beside him so that his hand was resting comfortably on top of her head. "Bay?" she asked, concerned.

Ash forced a smile and gave Bayleef a scratch. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just keep going, I'm sure she won't fall behind."

"Bayleef bay!" the grass pokemon replied more cheerfully. The remaining two travelers set off down the path once more, but the third traveler, having seen the whole exchange, only fled deeper into the forest.

(o. o)

Pikachu rejoined the group 30 minutes later, sulkiness notwithstanding. When the trio reached Viridian it was not yet lunch, and they continued on after a brief rest and snack. After a short time of walking down dusty little roads they reached Viridian Forest. With only a slight hesitation on Ash and Pikachu's part to enter the gloom they continued on through the forest. The darkness that enveloped them as soon as they entered was enough to send Pikachu back up to Ash's shoulder for comfort. Ash stroked her a bit to soothe her and whispered to her that it was only a forest, and although her retreat to the safety of her trainer was more a reaction to discomfort than any real fear she seemed pleased by the attention. After that she was in much better spirits and Ash couldn't detect anything unusual in her behaviour. Eventually he decided that it had been nothing big after all, but resolved all the same to ask her about it later.

At midday they decided to stop for lunch. Ash picked a spot where there were a few convenient rocks arranged for seating purposes, and they all settled down in comfortable positions to eat. Comfortable for Ash meant sitting on a rock with another rock to lean on; for Pikachu it meant sharing Ash's rock and nestling against him; and for Bayleef it meant settling down in a soft patch of grass and moss. Ash prepared food for both pokemon, and only when they were happily eating did he attend to himself. When he was finally ready to eat his sandwich, the pokemon were already halfway through their meals.

Pikachu, seeing this care on his part, regretted her earlier behaviour. Even though this was the way Ash always did lunch, seeing it after behaving so badly was humbling for Pikachu. She resolved never again to let her jealousy—for she had admitted to herself that that was what it was—get the better of her and make her act mean and petty. She was sorry for worrying Ash, now that she was rational enough to see his concern for what it was. No, she would not make that same mistake again.

However, no sooner had she made this resolution, than her jealousy was fired up once again. Bayleef, unoccupied by self-depricating thoughts as Pikachu was, had finished her lunch and decided to go sit beside Ash. Unfortunately for Pikachu, who was already sitting beside the trainer, Ash was leaning against a large rock, and the only available spot was the one Pikachu was currently occupying. Somehow Bayleef convinced herself that there was room for her between the two and wiggled in, forcing Pikachu farther away in the process. Pikachu eventually gave up the struggle to outshove a pokemon nearly ten times her weight, and jumped down from her rock, forced to abandon both her trainer and her unfinished lunch. She did her best to shoot daggers at Bayleef with her glare, but presumably she was unsuccessful since the other pokemon did not notice. Ash didn't notice any of this exchange, absorbed as he was in his food, and only smiled and scratched Bayleef's head when the grass pokemon butted his hand for attention.

Pikachu's fur bristled. He hadn't even noticed her absence! She had been curled up against him and he hadn't even noticed when Bayleef had taken her spot!

"Pikapi!" she protested, in the vain hope that he would by some miracle guess what was bothering her.

Ash lifted his head from his sandwich to look at her. When he saw nothing to warrant the outburst, an expression of confusion came to his face.

"Pikachu? What is it?" His gaze shifted around, and finally landed on her unfinished food dish. His face lit with understanding. "Oh! Here," he said, unfolding slightly to give her the dish. Bayleef complained softly at the movement. He glanced at her and gave her another scratch as he sat back down, but his gaze quickly returned to Pikachu. "Is that better?"

"Chu…" she muttered in reply. Ash took this as a yes, and was soon engrossed in finishing off his sandwich once again. Pikachu blinked at Ash and Bayleef, and then looked at her unfinished lunch, which was now lying at her feet. She stared at it for a minute longer, and decided that she wasn't really hungry any more. She turned on her heel decisively and dashed back into the depths of the forest, knowing she was being mean and petty, and finding that she didn't care.

Eventually she slowed her headlong dash to a more sedate walk. She had no idea how far she had gone while her only thought had been to get away from _them_, but that was a concern for later. As if on cue she wandered into a picturesque little clearing where a river branched off to form a small pool. Without a moment's thought to the possible dangers, Pikachu ran over to the little pool, skidding to a stop just short of falling in. She stared downstream where the little flow of water gurgled happily over the shallow rocks, making tiny rapids in some places. She saw a flash out of the corner of her eye, and when she whipped her head around, was sure she caught a glimpse of a Poliwag diving deeper underwater. She sighed and looked down at her own reflection in the calm surface of the pool.

_Why is she even here?_ Pikachu questioned bitterly, her thoughts dwelling on the source of her ill mood. _We haven't run into any trouble, and we probably won't for the rest of the journey. Pikapi isn't so famous yet that people everywhere would recognize him, and who would bother to attack a lone boy and his pikachu? Besides, it's not like there's a trainer anywhere that Pikapi and I can't beat. We're not the Champions for nothing. And that's another thing! We're the Champions, and I don't remember the prophecy mentioning the Champions plus Bayleef! It's supposed to be us…just us. It's been that way for so long now…Why can't it stay like that? _

'They will be closer than any but the Champions can be…they will possess a relationship born of great understanding and friendship that others can only dream of…one that is truly magical.' That was what the book had said. That was what the prophecy had foretold. It was supposed to happen, supposed to be her and her Pikapi. _Then why does it feel like it's falling apart?_

It was while she was engaged in these troubling thoughts that danger presented itself. Occupied as she was, and unused to fending for herself in the wild as she had once—in a different lifetime it seemed—she didn't notice until it was already upon her. Then it was only her lightning reflexes that saved her.

"Pokeball, go!" Pikachu whipped around toward the voice just in time to smack a pokeball away with her thunderbolt-shaped tail. The ball splashed into the pool, disturbing the tranquility of the water in much the same way that the attempted capture had ripped apart Pikachu's reverie.

Pikachu jumped up into a fighting position, recovering quickly from her shock. Her tail quivered and sparks shot from her cheeks in righteous anger.

"Pikachu pika!" she shouted angrily in rebuke, forgetting momentarily that only Ash could understand Pika-speak. She glared fiercely at the trainer who had attempted such an inexperienced capture. The trainer, a young girl, was blinking her blue eyes in confusion at the water where the pokeball had disappeared. Her mousy brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two pokeballs hanging from a leather sash across her chest. She wore a light blue t-shirt with black cargo pants ending in blue-and-white sneakers. A small grey backpack hung from her shoulders. At the sound of an angry Pikachu, her eyes flicked back to the yellow mouse.

"Why didn't that work?" she muttered to herself, eyes flitting from Pikachu to the pool and back again. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I remember! I have to weaken it first! Bulbasaur, go!"

"Pikaaa…." Pikachu sighed. She rolled her eyes and shifted her position a bit for maneuverability. Her fur bristled and her ears twitched as the other pokemon emerged from its ball in a flash of white light.

"Bulbasaur!" the small green creature cried. It stared at its surroundings with large red eyes, blinking slowly. Upon spotting Pikachu, the Bulbasaur gave its large bud a shake and stamped its feet threateningly.

"Pika pikachu, ka pi!" Pikachu cried, attempting to explain to the other pokemon that she already had a trainer, and that its owner couldn't capture her.

"Bulbasaur, go!" its trainer prompted, pointing her finger unnecessarily at Pikachu. "Tackle!"

"Pi-pikachu, pi!" Pikachu tried again, enforcing that she was _not_ an enemy. Bulbasaur looked indecisive.

"Bulbasaur!" the girl cried, frustrated with Bulbasaur's inaction. "Tackle, already!"

"Pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu argued, with a firm shake of her head. Bulbasaur began to prepare a tackle anyway, it's obedience to its trainer winning out. Pikachu switched tactics. "Pika," she growled, giving the other pokemon a final warning of how strong she was. She let a stray shot of static from her cheek strike out to scorch the ground at its feet. It stopped once more.

"Bulbasaur," the trainer cried, her frustration now beginning to turn to sadness. "Why won't you listen to me? Tackle!"

"Bulba bulba bulbasaur," the bulbasaur finally told Pikachu. It would not disobey its trainer, even if the fight was already lost.

"Pikachu, kachu!" Pikachu threatened, telling it that she was the Pokemon Master's best fighter in a last ditch effort to make it call off the attack.

Bulbasaur only scoffed at her claim, and pawed the ground in preparation for its attack.

_Fine then,_ Pikachu thought, resigned. _I didn't want to do this, but if it won't listen to reason…_ Her eyes narrowed at her opponent and she rose up on the balls of her paws to be ready to dodge the tackle.

Bulbasaur rocked forward for its attack and charged at Pikachu, which she neatly sidestepped. The bulbasaur, pulled on by momentum, skidded to a stop just before falling into the pool. Pikachu watched sadly from a safe distance.

"Pika?" she asked vainly, hoping the other had seen the hopelessness of its situation.

"Bulba," it said, shaking its head. It turned to face her and waited for its next order.

"Tackle!" the girl shouted, and Bulbasaur launched into another charge. Pikachu neatly dodged once more, hesitant to hurt such an inexperienced battler. The girl called for yet another tackle, it being the only attack her bulbasaur knew.

This continued for some time, and Pikachu eventually found her thoughts straying from the completely unchallenging battle. She felt disturbed by the obedience that this pokemon displayed for its trainer, blindly following orders even when it knew that she was obviously wrong. It did not try to communicate with her or refuse to fight, it simply obeyed. For Pikachu this über-obedient mindset was incomprehensive, especially at such an early stage of the relationship, when no trust could yet have been forged. Even now Pikachu wouldn't hesitate to tell Ash when he was wrong about something, but she would also obey him even if she wasn't sure what his plan was, because she trusted him, and trusted that he _did_ actually have a plan. But the difference between her and her Pikapi and this pair, she realized now, was that Ash would listen to what she said. Even if her bulbasaur had refused to fight, the girl would only have thought it disobedient and good-for-nothing. It would be treated like a slave, and its advice given about the same merit, just like the persian had said.

_But that's always the trainer's option, isn't it? _Pikachu thought dismally as she dodged yet another ill-executed tackle. _Even with Pikapi. If he decided not to listen to me, there wouldn't be anything I could do about it. If he decided that he liked Bayleef better and left me at Oak's… _She shuddered. _That would never happen…but if it did… We're best friends, but shouldn't best friends be equal in all ways? …Can a pokemon and a trainer ever truly be best friends, even the Champions? _

This last conclusion disturbed her so much that she paused, and consequently failed to dodge the next attack. The bulbasaur rammed into her side and she flew into the air, turning it into a backwards jump in midair. Still in midair, she sent a thunderbolt towards her attacker, acting purely on reflexes.

"CHUU!" she yelled as the electricity left her body and shot over to the bulbasaur, frying the naturally resistant grass pokemon. It gave a puff of smoke from its mouth and toppled over onto its side just as Pikachu landed lightly on all fours a few meters away.

"Pika…" she whispered to herself, feeling guilty about unleashing such a powerful attack on such a defenseless pokemon. She comforted herself with the observation that the bulbasaur had been wearing itself out anyways trying to hit her, that it would be fine once it reached a pokemon center, and that at least now the trainer would leave her be and she could get back to Ash.

_Oh no!_ Pikachu thought, realization dawning. _Pikapi! How long have I been gone? What if he's worried, or thinks something's happened to me?_ Worried herself over her trainer's possible worry, Pikachu turned to leave, but the trainer's next actions made her pause.

"Bulbasaur, return," she said, pulling the grass pokemon back inside its ball in a reverse flash of light. "You did your best," she murmured to the ball in her hands, and Pikachu's opinion of her rose considerably upon seeing that act of care. The trainer's eyes lifted back up to Pikachu, and her anger was apparent.

"This isn't over yet!" she warned the electric mouse, plucking the second pokeball off of her sash. "Rhydon, go!"

_A…rhydon?_ Pikachu stared stupidly at the huge mound of living rock that now towered up above her. It opened its mouth and roared, proclaiming its strength. Pikachu did the only thing she could think of.

"PIKAPI!"

(o. o)-/

"PIKAPI!"

Ash and Bayleef both jerked their heads up at the cry, stopping their search for the little yellow mouse. Ash felt he could cry with simultaneous relief and worry; relief that they finally had a fix on where his best friend was, and worry at what could have prompted such a desperate cry. Before the cry's echo could so much as fade, both Ash and Bayleef were dashing in the direction of the call.

"Find Pikachu…help her," Ash panted when Bayleef, by far the faster of the two, hovered beside him for a moment for instructions. She nodded smartly at the orders and took off through the trees. Ash sped up, frantic to get to Pikachu as soon as he could, and not caring that Bayleef would be there to help anyways.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of following Bayleef's trail, the trees ended and Ash found himself on the edge of a small clearing. A small stream ran through it, forming a small pool at its center. But that was not its most noticeable feature by far. Beside the small pool, which was forming ripples every few seconds from huge footsteps, a pokemon battle was taking place. There, in that tiny idyllic clearing, Ash's best friend was facing down a towering rock nearly twenty times her size. Even as he watched, pausing to take in the amazing scene, his Pikachu scored a critical hit on the huge rhydon with a well-placed Iron Tail and it flinched, allowing the mouse to leap back out of range of any other attacks. Bayleef, he now noticed, was already halfway across the clearing, charging with a direct single-mindedness at the rhydon. Ash hovered a moment longer at the edge of the trees, still undetected by anyone. Suddenly he noticed a young girl standing behind the rhydon, frantically shouting and gesturing, but the pokemon was ignoring her. _Amateur_, Ash decided. _But how did she get a hold of such a powerful pokemon?_

The rhydon roared in surprise when Bayleef rammed into it at the end of her headlong charge, and Ash broke his cover. He sprinted across the clearing towards his two pokemon, shouting orders as he went.

(o. o)

"PIKAPI!"

Both trainer and rhydon stared at her stupidly after her outburst, expecting something, _anything_ to happen. When nothing did, the rhydon took the initiative and came at her with a horn drill. She easily dodged its slow but scarily powerful strike and backed away nervously. Although she was used to fighting strong opponents, she always had Ash with her. This time she was alone, and everything was different. She felt awkward, like she didn't know what she was doing, like there was no hope of winning, alone as she was. She forced those feelings aside and concentrated on the battle as much as she was able, hoping with all her heart that Ash had heard her and was on his way now. If he was here with her, they could beat this thing, she knew it.

"Don!" the rhydon roared to the sky, preparing for an earthquake attack. Pikachu once again did the only thing she could think of and ran at the rhydon, distracting it from its planned earthquake. It swiped at her with one huge paw and she tumbled awkwardly out of the way. She dodged around behind it and back to the front as it lashed its tail at her much like a horse flicks its tail to get rid of an annoying fly. The rhydon then decided to ignore her and prepared for another earthquake. Pikachu desperately ran at it again, and when that didn't work, she followed through with the most powerful Iron Tail she could manage.

"Pika!" she yelled as she swung her shining silver tail into the rhydon's neck. Its roar changed to one of pain and it bent over. Pikachu leapt out of the way, barely, and backed away to get to a safe distance. The rhydon shook itself angrily as if to rid itself of the pain, and roared once more. Its horn began to spin again, Pikachu having apparently dissuaded it from trying another earthquake. Pikachu tensed herself to jump—

Suddenly a green blur slammed into the rhydon's side, causing it to abort its attack and give a roar of surprise. It staggered a few steps from the hit and the green blur that was Bayleef twisted in midair to land protectively in front of Pikachu.

"Bay!" she challenged, giving her leaf a warning twirl and standing firmly in front of Pikachu, legs spread out and claws digging into the soft earth.

The rhydon gave its loudest, angriest roar yet and regained its balance. Its horn began to spin yet again, and its next roar mingled with the sound of rock scratching against rock to make a very unpleasant noise. Pikachu forced herself not to flinch, not to run, and Bayleef did the same. They both waited together for the strike to fall. Finally the spinning reached its highest pitch and the rhydon reared up for its strike…And suddenly Ash was there, yelling orders.

"Bayleef, use your vines to jump! Pikachu, get out of there!" Needing no further prompting, Pikachu leapt clear of the incoming horn even as Bayleef easily vaulted away from the danger. She determinedly kept her eyes focused on the battle, knowing that if she looked at her Pikapi now, she would lose her concentration.

"Now, Bayleef! Solarbeam!" Ash directed, fighting to be heard over the roars. At the apex of her jump, Bayleef hovered a moment to collect sunlight. Then she fell back down to the ground, landing easily, and without a moment's hesitation shot a powerful solarbeam straight at the rhydon. It was a direct hit; the concentrated sunlight hit the other pokemon dead on. Already weakened from Pikachu's Iron Tail, the solarbeam proved to be way too much. It gave one last pitiful roar and toppled over, making the earth shake with the impact. Its trainer immediately called it back, looking almost relieved.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried joyously, finally allowing herself to look back at her trainer. She dashed towards him and jumped into his outstretched arms. Ash laughed happily and held Pikachu close as she snuggled into his embrace, safe at last. Eventually Ash pulled away a bit to get a better look at his pokemon.

"Are you okay, buddy?" he asked, worried. "That Rhydon looked pretty tough."

"Pikachu, pi Pikapi," she reassured him. She rested her head back against his chest with a sigh.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ash asked, still concerned. "You don't sound alright."

"Pikachu, pi-pikachu pika," she replied, not moving her head from his chest. "Pipika…"

"You were scared fighting on your own, even though the Rhydon wasn't that tough? That's understandable. I would never want to fight without you there." Pikachu snuggled a little closer at that comment. "But what are you sorry for?"

"Pi-pikachu, pika," she explained. Now in a calmer state of mind, she regretted running off in the first place.

"Okay, but don't do that again. I thought Team Rocket had gotten you."

"Pikaa…" she sighed, knowing that he knew full well that Team Rocket hadn't been around since Ash gained the Master/Champion title. If they had, they both would have been much less bored.

"Hey, it could still happen! If nothing else, they're known for persistence." Ash paused, visibly making an effort to return to original topic. "But why did you run off in the first place?"

"Pika pi chu kapi ka," she replied, now hiding her face in his chest. She didn't want to admit she had been jealous, but she didn't keep secrets from Ash and there was no chance of his figuring it out on his own.

"Pikachu…" Ash murmured, beginning to pet her. "You don't have to be jealous of anyone, you got that? You will always be my best friend…and nothing will ever change that, _ever_. Together forever, remember?"

"Chupi, Pikapi…"

"'Maybe'? Pikachu, what's wrong?"

"Pikachu ka, pika pika pi chupika," she answered, burying her head even deeper into his chest to hide her now-watery eyes.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Ash demanded, outraged. "Who says people and pokemon can't be best friends?"

"Pikachu, pika pika kachu," Pikachu answered, explaining that although no one _said_ it, many pokemon believed to be true in the end, and she was beginning to understand why they would think so.

"Well, then we'll have to prove them wrong," Ash declared resolutely. "You will always be my best friend. _Always._ And if the same goes for you…"

"Pika!" she assented, mildly insulted that he would even ask.

"Then I don't see the problem. We've been through tough stuff before, and we stuck together. Why should it be any different now?"

"Pikachu, pika!" she agreed, determined to make their friendship last. But a small part of her remained doubtful, even after Ash's reassurances. _He wouldn't see the inequalities in such a friendship, _she thought, _because he's the one on top. **–No!** _She argued with herself. _Ash is different. Those pokemon don't know him; they wouldn't believe the impossibility of true friendship if they did. Ash and I are best friends forever._

Having beaten back her doubts and regained confidence in her best friend, she found herself in a cheerful mood, and was not at all annoyed when Bayleef came over and butted her head against Ash. The grass pokemon gave the large leaf on her head a twirl to show off, and Ash laughed.

"You did a great job, Bayleef," he praised her, and reached out to give her a pet, attempting to hold Pikachu with one arm in the meantime. Eventually Pikachu gave up trying to keep her balance and hopped up to her usual spot on Ash's shoulder.

"Bayleef bay!" Bayleef cheered, pleased with the praise. "Bay," she added as an afterthought, jerking her head in the direction of the recent battle. Ash's head lifted and his eyes immediately landed on the Rhydon's trainer, who looked like she was trying to sneak away. Ash hesitated, but the memory of the rampaging Rhydon made him speak.

"Um, excuse me – could you wait a minute?" The girl froze at the sound of his voice, eyes downcast. She didn't speak, but she did wait.

"Where did you get that Rhydon?" Ash asked, getting right to the point. The girl winced and gulped, as if she had been expecting that.

"…My brother gave it to me," she answered hesitantly. "For protection. I…He told me to use it only if I was danger, but…" Her eyes flashed briefly in defiance, but it was quickly extinguished. "I was sure I could control it."

"If I'm right and you're a rookie trainer, then the only pokemon you can control right now is that Bulbasaur," Ash stated, launching into lecture-mode. "Pokemon aren't stupid; they will only listen to someone if they believe they have the experience to back up their orders. Until you get that experience, your brother's Rhydon will completely ignore you. As it is, that pokemon is more dangerous than anything you will encounter on the road."

"…I know that…now…" she muttered, obviously not thrilled with the advice. Ash frowned.

"You have to think about your Bulbasaur too. All trainers start out with only one initially weak pokemon not only because that's all they can handle, but also because it is required for a strong bond between pokemon and trainer. They cannot have a backup plan if that pokemon fails; that would allow for recklessness and carelessness, and would not create the trust and respect needed between pokemon and trainer. Without that imposed interdependence, I don't think my pikachu would even like me. I can't force you, but I think you ought to leave your rhydon in Pewter City and continue on with only Bulbasaur. I know it would be grateful, at least."

"Pika!" Pikachu added, strongly in agreement with everything her friend had just said. She knew that without that forced mutual reliance that she and Ash had shared early on in their journey, they would not be nearly as close as they were now. They might not even be friends at all. The thought chilled her.

"I understand," the other trainer said, more firmly this time. Perhaps Ash's words had actually made an impression. "I'll consider it…you and your pikachu do seem close, so I guess you know what you're talking about."

"I sure hope I do," Ash chuckled. "But your first pokemon is usually the most important pokemon you'll ever own. If you treat it with respect now and trust is forged, it could become the best friend you'll ever have…if not, it's unlikely that you'll get far as a trainer."

"Chuka…pika cha," Pikachu muttered quietly, a comment meant for Ash's ears alone. He gave her a scratch in response and she gave a quiet "chaa" of happiness.

"Alright, I get it," the girl muttered, watching Ash and Pikachu closely. "I'll ask Bulbasaur what it wants me to do…And if it wants me to leave Rhydon behind, I will. Is that good enough?" Ash nodded. "Then can I go?" Ash opened his mouth to agree, but Pikachu suddenly reached up and whispered something in his ear. He listened, then nodded and focused again on the girl.

"Pikachu says your Bulbasaur knew that she already had a trainer, but that you made it fight anyways. If you pay attention to what your pokemon is trying to tell you, maybe you can avoid being charged with theft."

The girl blushed, gave a nod, and then dashed off along the path, presumably towards Pewter. Ash looked at Pikachu quizzically.

"That was…interesting," he commented, then glanced speculatively down the path. "Think she'll be ok?"

"Pikachu chu," Pikachu answered, nodding. Ash grinned slightly.

"Yeah, she'll learn…and I have a feeling I was a lot worse at that stage."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed enthusiastically, nodding vigorously. Ash gave her a small glare.

"You didn't have to agree with me…" he muttered in response. He called to Bayleef, who had wandered off a bit during the conversation, and then the three followed the other trainer down the path to Pewter.

(o. o)-/

The journey through the woods was monotonous at best, so it was a relief when they finally reached Pewter City. They headed straight to the Pokemon Centre, where the current Joy recognized Ash—almost everyone near Pallet Town knew him—and managed to draw him into a conversation involved pokemon care. Ash had Pikachu and Bayleef healed, not fully trusting Pikachu's assurances that she was fine. Nurse Joy was amazed at Pikachu's condition, and began to interrogate him on what food she ate, how she exercised, and so on. Ash fended off the questions as best he could, but it seemed to take an abnormally long time to heal his pokemon. When they finally reappeared night had fallen, and it was decided that they would remain in Pewter for the night and set out early the next morning to make up for lost time. They whiled away the hours until true night by wandering through the various shops and stocking up on more supplies. The young trainer from the woods was not spotted.

Eventually, having finished shopping, they all went back to the Pokemon Centre. Ash, still bored and not yet willing to sleep, suggested a sparring match between his two pokemon. He said it would be only accuracy and evasion practice, since he knew Pikachu was the stronger of the two. So, for half an hour, Bayleef threw everything she had at Pikachu while the smaller pokemon skillfully dodged every attack until a single errant leaf from a Razor Leaf attack clipped her tail. Pikachu stopped, admitting defeat.

"Pika pika!" she cheered, happy for Bayleef's final success. But…

"Good job Bayleef! It's rare for Pikachu to get hit at all anymore."

"Bayleef bay!" the grass pokemon cried, happy with her trainer's praise.

"Pika..." Pikachu sighed quietly to herself, annoyed that she let herself get hit at all.

"I think it's time for sleep now," Ash continued, catching Pikachu's expression. "Bayleef, return!" He placed Bayleef's now full pokeball on his belt and knelt down in front of Pikachu. "Hey…" Ash paused and waited till Pikachu raised her eyes to his. "Don't feel bad, Pikachu. I like to think that I've trained Bayleef extremely well, and it was only a stray leaf that caught you. If she hadn't been tired and the attack had been focused like it should have been, you'd have been free and clear."

"Pika, pipika," she replied more cheerfully. "Pikachu kacha, pi Pikapi?"

"Yeah, we're still learning, and that'll never stop. We just gotta be careful not to think we're invincible, and we'll be okay."

"Piiika!" Pikachu cried, completely cheered up.

"That's better. Now, time for bed?" Ash stood and held out his hand to Pikachu. She nodded and ran up his arm to his shoulder. Together they headed back to the Pokemon Centre, both in high spirits once more.

* * *

**Well, I think I solved my Mary Sue issue by not even giving the 'OC' a name. Ah well, whatever works. So, didja like it?  
**


	4. Are We There Yet?

**Huge thanks to Foxyjosh, Ri2, Colb-a-nater, Imagine100perc and wolf guardian of light for your encouragement and ideas. And a special thanks to Shiguya Retomasi and Coranth, who went above and beyond the call of duty and wrote me paragraphs. :D**

**Um…this chapter is basically a mammoth filler. I tried to get all (or most) of the happy fluffy stuff out of the way in this chapter so I wouldn't have the urge to write it in later. We'll see how well that worked. I also incorporated Ri2's idea and added a short Bayleef introspective towards the end to balance out all the fluff. It was a good idea, and I think it turned out alright. **

**And don't worry, not all the chapters will continue to grow at this rate. The next one should be back at normal(ish) size. Also, I've given up on trying to do complex conversations between pokemon in English, so: **

**_"words"_ : pokemon speak **

**Disclaimer!! – I most definitely do _not_ own Pokemon. Let this disclaimer stand for all previous and future chapters of this _fan_fiction, as I do not foresee this situation changing in the near future.**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 4: Are We There Yet?_

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Ash left Pewter early the next morning as planned, so early in fact that he was not able to say goodbye to Nurse Joy. Not that he was particularly sorry about that; if he had run into her again, it probably would have been noon before they were able to leave. He knew he would have welcomed such attention (however annoying it was) in the past, when he was younger and more willing to believe himself all-knowing and all-powerful, but not now. Ash had changed, for the better he hoped, and he could tell that Pikachu had as well. Looking at her now, happily dozing on his shoulder, he knew her change was for the better. He supposed he had rubbed off on her, but it seemed her first impulse now was to trust everyone she met rather than shocking them first and asking questions later. For himself, he had learned from her to take a stranger's words with a grain of salt.

Returning to the present, Ash sighed as he pushed yet another thorny branch out of his way, earning him a couple new scratches for his efforts. Beside him Bayleef hacked away at more vegetation, obviously enjoying it much more than he was. Hissing as he gained yet another scratch, this time one that bled, he was forced to admit that this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

The plan had been to cut through the dense woods to the east of Pewter and head south and east towards Celadon. From there they would follow the road to Saffron and finally to Lavender. In theory, the plan was a good one. In practice, however, Ash found the term 'dense' to be taking on a whole new meaning.

"Piii!" A particularly vindictive branch had struck Pikachu full in the face while she was peacefully sleeping, knocking her right off Ash's shoulder. She slid down the back of his jacket and frantically clung with her claws to avoid falling entirely.

"Pikachu!" Ash quickly rescued his pokemon from her precarious position, carefully attempting to unhook her tiny claws from his jacket with the smallest damage possible to both jacket and pokemon. He cradled her in his arms, carefully feeling her head for any sign of injury. Pikachu lay calmly in his hands, eyes closed, probably trying her best to recover from the traumatizing experience she had woken up to. He found nothing but a small, slightly bloody scratch on her forehead, but all the same, his eyes darkened with rage at the being who had dared to harm his best friend.

"That's it," Ash growled, his free hand dropping to his side to make a fist. "We are getting out of here _now_. Bayleef, solarbeam!"

"BaaaayLEEF!" Bayleef cried as she unleashed her most powerful attack, not fully understanding Ash's goal but trusting him nonetheless. The blinding beam of light cut through the trees and shrubbery within seconds, leaving an opening with charred remains on either side.

"Take that, evil thorns!" Ash yelled, thrilled with his revenge on Pikachu's attackers. But when his eyes finally recovered from the blinding light they had been exposed to, the sight he beheld made him think that he really hadn't changed at all. There, not five meters away from where they stood, was the edge of the forest. A populated road ran right in front of the forest's edge, and the high buildings of Celadon could be seen shining in the distance. As Ash watched, travelers on the road began to stop and stare at the sudden whole in the forest. Ash felt a blush rise to his cheeks and he clutched Pikachu and tried to fade back into the forest.

"Pikapi…pikachu pi-pikachu," Pikachu scolded from her spot in her trainer's arms. She shook her head in false disappointment to cover her amusement and pleasure at Ash's display of protectiveness.

"I know, I know, bad move," Ash muttered in response, backing away even farther into the trees. "Sorry."

"Pika pichuka pi," Pikachu continued, not finished her scolding. "Ka, pichu kacha."

"I didn't need to kill the big bad tree for you, huh?" Ash repeated, laughing. "I'll be sure to remember that next time."

"Pika, pikachu."

"Oh I will. Thanks for the forgiveness though."

"Pi!"

"Now, how are we going to get out of here?" Ash asked worriedly. A crowd was beginning to gather around the hole.

"Bay, bayleef bay bay!" Bayleef whispered urgently, gesturing towards a gap in the trees.

"Huh? Oh, you've found a way out?" Bayleef nodded and disappeared into the bushes. Ash stared at the place where his pokemon had vanished and sighed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Pika…" Pikachu said, sounding no more enthusiastic than Ash. Ash grinned evilly and gestured at the gap.

"Ladies first."

Pikachu glared and leapt out of his arms, heading toward the hole. Just when Ash thought he was safe, she glanced back over her shoulder and gave him a small thundershock.

"Ow! I'll get you for that!"

"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu taunted, bolting into the undergrowth.

"Hey! Come back here!" Ash had no choice but to follow Pikachu back into the forest, and once more boy and pokemon chased each other through the trees, this time with Bayleef just barely staying ahead of them. And so it was a miracle when they all finally surfaced closer to Celadon and free of a crowd of curious strangers.

(o. o)

The team finally reached Celadon around midday, having taken the whole morning to get through the forest. They stopped there for a quick lunch, and then pressed on to Saffron. Along the way Ash was recognized as the Master by more people than he or Pikachu had expected, and was challenged to a number of battles both by those who knew him and those who did not. Ash regretfully turned them all down, saying that he was in a hurry, which was very true. He consoled himself by promising that he would accept at least one challenge when he reached Lavender, but he didn't have the luxury to do so before that.

They reached Saffron by nightfall, weary and footsore (at least in Ash and Bayleef's case). Although it was still early in the evening, they headed directly to the Pokemon Centre, eyes and ears blind and deaf to the excitement of the huge city. Pikachu, not nearly as tired, hopped up on Ash's head the better to see everything and everyone. Ash completely ignored the extra weight on his head, concentrating instead on Bayleef, who would at least complain along with him.

They staggered into the pokemon centre and collapsed. Pikachu let them rest for a few minutes before pointing out that they were in need of food for tomorrow's trek. Without opening his eyes, Ash dug into his pocket and pulled out a few coins, which he held out to Pikachu. Pikachu merely stared at his hand and Ash groaned.

"Fine, I'm coming," he managed, forcing himself to rise. "Come on Bayleef, I'm sure it won't take long."

"Bay." Bayleef shook her head slowly, refusing to budge.

"No way, if I have to go you have to go."

"Bay," she responded stubbornly, shaking her head again. "Bay bayleef bay," she added, mimicking the release of a solarbeam. Ash sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I give. You deserve your rest. Return." Bayleef was sucked back into the ball, which Ash minimized and attached to his belt. "Well buddy, looks like it's just you and me."

"Pi pikapi!" Pikachu agreed happily. She jumped back onto her trainer's shoulder, a spot which she had been forced to abandon when he had collapsed.

"You know it's because of me that you're so energetic right now," Ash grumbled as he weaved through the crowds. "Show a little sympathy."

"Pi," Pikachu murmured, giving his cheek a pat with her paw. But her little show of sympathy was immediately forgotten when her eyes landed on one of the large television screens in the window of a store.

"Pikapi!" she cried, pointing. "Pikachu, pi pika!"

"What? I'm on TV?" Ash turned in the direction Pikachu was pointing and his eyes widened. Displayed on each of the TVs in the window of the shop was his smiling face. Curious, he paused to listen.

_"…Ash Ketchum, the current Pokemon Master, was absent,"_ the news reporter continued. _"Mr. Forrester was offered a battle from Gary Oak, who is now accepting all challenges directed toward the Master, but he declined." _A young boy now popped up onto the screen. A Sandslash stood beside him.

_"I trained hard to be able to challenge Ash,"_ the kid said, obviously annoyed. _"I just can't believe he's not here! This is completely unfair. It feels like all my hard work's gone to waste."_ The boy and his Sandslash disappeared and the news reporter again took the screen.

_"Indeed this is a major disappointment to all aspiring trainers like Mr. Forrester. However, upon much questioning, Professor Oak finally informed us that the young Master has gone in search of adventure, taking only two pokemon with him. No one knows where he is now, or when he will be back. We encourage all our viewers to report any sightings."_

Ash turned away from the TVs, not quite knowing what to think. To get his first challenge in months only two days after he had left! The irony was not lost on him.

"Pika," Pikachu said, obviously just as annoyed as her trainer.

"I know, but it was to be expected I guess," Ash reasoned half-heartedly, his exhaustion preventing him from bouncing back as usual. "I just didn't think it would be that soon."

"Pikachu, kapi chu," Pikachu muttered darkly. Ash laughed, his normal buoyant spirits restored by one comment from his best friend.

"That theory's a little too paranoid even for me," he laughed, exhaustion and annoyance forgotten. "You really think that was their master plan, to wait until I left and then make their challenges?"

"Kacha, pi-pikachu."

"Oh, of course, if they only said they wanted to_ see _me, then they wouldn't have to battle Gary. Very devious of them."

"Pika."

Ash laughed again, and after a moment commented, "Nice job on the conspiracy theory there."

"Chuka."

"You're welcome."

Ash finally located a small convenience store and was able to purchase the items needed for the next day's journey. The mission was very quick and cheap, and he was leaving the store again only minutes later. Wary of encountering anyone who would recognize him and report a 'sighting', he decided to take the back way to reach the pokemon centre. Confident of their abilities, neither Pikachu nor Ash felt at all concerned about wandering the alleys at night.

As expected, they encountered no problems with the alley nightlife, and surfaced safely near the pokemon centre. It was as they were crossing the relatively deserted square directly across from the centre that they encountered trouble.

The trouble presented itself in the form of a young boy, looking to be about twelve or so. He had neat brown hair and was wearing a plain blue t-shirt and raggedy jeans. He clutched a full-sized pokeball in his hand.

"Hey, you!" he called out to them. When they didn't immediately turn, he clarified, "You with the pikachu!"

Ash sighed and turned around slowly, all his former exhaustion returning. Pikachu mimicked his sigh and flattened herself on Ash's shoulder, trying to become as unremarkable as possible.

"Yes?" Ash asked reluctantly. The boy grinned meanly and Ash had to stop himself from just turning and walking away.

"I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

"Normally I would accept, really, but I'm really tired tonight and I just want to go to sleep, so please find someone else to challenge, alright kid?"

"Joey. The name's Joey." Ash winced. He hadn't meant to call the boy 'kid'; it had just slipped out in his exhaustion. He remembered how much he had hated that when he had been Joey's age. The slip would only make this more tedious than it would have been otherwise.

"I'm sorry. Joey." Ash attempted—in vain, he knew—to make up for the 'kid' comment. "I'm just really tired, so—"

"I bet you're just running away because you're too scared. I bet you're just some loser trainer, because who else but a loser would carry around a weakling pikachu?" Joey finished by crossing his arms and grinning smugly.

"Excuse me?" Ash said, getting angry now.

"I said—"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, interrupting the boy. "Pikachu chu Pikapi."

"You're right," Ash said, anger dissipating. "He's not worth it."

"Hey! Who are you calling not worth it?"

"You," Ash answered with brutal honesty, too tired and annoyed to be nice. "Now please leave us alone, we're _very _tired." Ash stressed the 'very', hoping the kid would get that he was the largest source of their exhaustion at the moment. _Even Pikachu looks tired now, _he mused._ He's sucked the energy right out of her. Probably for the best though, because otherwise she would have had trouble getting to sleep, which would have given me trouble sleeping since she refuses to sleep alone, and then tomorrow I would be tired and she would be tired and we'd both be wanting to kill Bayleef for being so well rested and—_

"You're not running away from me!" Joey yelled, rudely breaking Ash out of his rambling sleep-deprived thoughts. "Bolt, come out and show them we're serious!" The boy threw the ball he had been clutching, and the contained light burst free. When the glow faded, 'Bolt' proved to be none other than a raichu.

"No," Ash declared flatly. "It is _way_ too late at night for this."

"Pikaa," Pikachu growled threateningly at the new arrival, sparks shooting from her cheeks. Her vantage point from her trainer's shoulder gave her at least the illusion of being taller.

"Pikachu, remember," Ash whispered softly to his friend. "They're not worth it." Pikachu blinked and gave herself a shake.

"Chu," she declared in her best snobby attitude, pointing her nose in the air away from the raichu. Ash smiled as he recalled their first day together, when he had constantly been on the receiving end of that attitude.

"Goodbye," Ash said finally, and with that he turned and began to leave. He had not gotten more than a few steps away, however, than he heard Joey's voice ring out behind him:

"Bolt! Don't let the loser and his weakling get away!"

Pikachu glanced back at the other trainer's shout and was just in time to see the arc of lightning heading towards her. She braced herself, though she could do nothing to stop the electricity from passing through her body and into her trainer's. She felt tears come to her eyes as she felt Ash's body tense and spasm under her.

Not suspecting that any trainer would do such a thing, Ash was not prepared for the jolt of electricity that surged through his body. He froze and gritted his teeth as the energy swept through him, and at the end of it he remained standing, though faintly singed. He had endured far, far worse shocks from Pikachu over the years; this one was less than a blip on the radar.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, tears in her eyes. "Pikapi, pika!"

"Hey, I'm alright Pikachu, I'm fine," he reassured her, giving her a comforting pet. "And our food is fine too, see?" He held up the plastic bag to show her.

"Pikapi…" she whispered, rubbing her cheek against his and giving him a lick. Then her expression changed completely from one of love and concern to one of pure rage. "Piiikaaaaaa…"

"Yeah, now they've gone too far," Ash agreed, and turned around to face the younger trainer once more. "You refused to leave us be. You leave us with no choice." Ash's black eyes flashed, and for a moment both pairs of black eyes from trainer and pokemon alike fixed on Joey with the exact same expression of anger. Joey, disturbed, took an involuntary step back.

"Pika…" Pikachu growled threateningly.

"Rai rai," the raichu growled back, though not managing the same level of fury.

"Alright, a battle at last!" Joey exclaimed, shaking off the glares. "Bolt, growl!"

"Raichu," Bolt obediently growled. Both Ash and Pikachu ignored it.

"Pikachu," Ash began, twisting his hat around so it was on backwards. "You know what to do."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, and she vaulted off from Ash's shoulder into the air. "Pikaa…CHUUUU!" she cried, unleashing a powerful thunder attack. Into it she poured all her rage at anyone who would harm Ash, and especially one who would put him through such pain using her own element, electricity. _I'm the only one who's allowed to shock him, and only when he deserves it, _she thought to herself, enraged. _Only me!_

This time it was Bolt the raichu who received the shock, but not his trainer. Pikachu was careful to restrict her attack to the pokemon only, conscious that such a blast could be enough to kill a person who was not resistant to electricity like Ash was. The final burst of electricity coursed out of her, and she landed lightly on the ground in front of Ash, tail straight up and ready for more.

The raichu, however, had taken on more than it could handle. It wobbled on its feet, tail lashing uncertainly. Finally it toppled over, eyes becoming swirls.

"Bolt!" Joey cried, crouching down to his raichu. "How could you lose to a weakling pikachu?"

"Do _not _call my pikachu a weakling," Ash warned, fists clenching. Pikachu's cheeks began to spark again.

"Okay, okay," Joey responded, raising his hands in surrender. "Your pikachu isn't a weakling. But I don't understand. How could it have beaten Bolt?"

"Figure that out yourself," Ash said, turning his hat back around, the battle won. He dipped his head so that his face was in shadow. "In the future, do not underestimate other pokemon. Sometimes the smallest can also be the strongest."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, shooting Joey one last glare before leaping to Ash's shoulder. Ash turned and began walking back to the pokemon centre, confident that there would be no shock this time.

"Wait!" Joey protested. "You must have cheated! There's no way…I demand a rematch!" Ash merely kept walking, and neither he nor Pikachu spared the boy a backward glance. He was still muttering insults when they left hearing range.

Ash allowed himself a smug grin of triumph, and he noticed that his best friend wore a similar expression. Thinking back on the battle, he realized something.

"So you're really stronger than a raichu now, in power as well as speed," Ash commented thoughtfully. "We've never tried to beat one with electricity before."

"Pika!" Pikachu replied, eyes shining as she turned to look at her trainer. "Pi-pikachu, kapi Pikapi."

"I don't know if it's _all_ thanks to me," Ash protested, grinning. "You really helped me too, Pikachu. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

"Pikapi…"

"It's true, and you know it. We're best friends for a reason, you know."

"Kacha!" Ash smiled and ruffled Pikachu's fur affectionately, and Pikachu nuzzled his cheek in response. Their souls in perfect harmony like usual, the two best friends walked through the sliding doors of the pokemon centre as deep night descended upon the city.

(o. o)-/

All three travelers rose late the next morning, well rested and content with the knowledge that there was no rush. The distance to Lavender was not great, and it was easily covered in a day. This made for an easy, carefree journey, with many stops along the way. Pikachu and Bayleef took turns wandering in the woods beside the path, never leaving Ash completely alone, which he was thankful for. For a short time he was worried that they would have a repeat of the rhydon incident, but the speed at which Pikachu responded to his call for a stop convinced him she was always close by.

After breakfast the pokemon ceased their exploration and remained with Ash, walking on either side of him. Eventually Ash grew bored and began looking for something to do. Talking tends to lose its appeal in long journeys, but, as Ash had learned long ago, that does not mean that the travelers do not get bored. They just don't tell each other about it.

Finally the Pokemon Master hit upon the idea of a race. Knowing he wouldn't stand a chance in a flat-out run, he imposed these restrictions: Pikachu would run through the treetops, Bayleef through the forest while carrying the pack, and Ash would just sprint. Both pokemon agreed, happy to find something to do and eager to show their trainer that they could win despite the handicaps. Ash handed his pack over to Bayleef, and after a moment of awkwardly trying to secure it, they were ready to start.

"Ready, set," Ash counted off, doing the honours. He could just barely make out Pikachu's yellow fur among the tree branches, and he couldn't see Bayleef at all. "GO!"

Ash sprinted off at his own signal, noticing the yellow blur disappear within a second. He heard crashing sounds briefly from the forest, but they soon faded. Ash ignored the signs that he was losing and concentrated on the large oak tree up ahead that been agreed upon as the goal, maintaining that it was not over until it was over. He remembered the story of the blastoise and the rapidash and grinned.

(o. o)

Pikachu dashed through the treetops, leaping agilely from branch to branch, always gaining speed. She spared a glance to the path beside her, and could just make out Ash falling far behind. She smiled smugly to herself and concentrated once more on the intricate path she had to travel to avoid falling. As she ran she looked for any sign that Bayleef was still around, but she saw nothing. Happily she sped up, naturally assuming she was in the lead.

Unfortunately for her, the added weight that came with the increased speed proved to be too much for the half-rotten branch she leaped onto next. With a hideous crack the branch snapped and she found herself falling. After a very long drop (for a pikachu) she landed with a thump in the middle of a bush. Fortunately the bush was soft and thorn free, although she thought she could feel something sticky underneath her paws. She stood and looked down at her feet guiltily.

She was standing in the remains of what had to have been a nest, although there was no nest-like material around. She had landed in the middle of a clutch of eggs, and although miraculously none were smashed, a few were badly cracked. Pikachu went utterly silent, listening for any signs of an angry mother or father coming to kill her, but heard nothing. She sighed in relief and looked back down at the eggs, trying to figure out how to get out without breaking any more. She raised a paw and froze. All the eggs surrounding her were staring at her. They had _eyes_.

Pikachu was so shocked she could only stare at the eggs which were impossibly staring back at her. Eventually she started to feel sleepy, and began to sway on her feet. She staggered and almost fell, but her paw stepped on something sharp and she was jerked out of her daze. Panicked, she shot out of the bush and out of the range of the hypnosis attack.

She paused to recover, thinking herself safe.

That was a mistake. Within moments Pikachu was surrounded once more. When she moved, recovered enough to continue racing, they pounced out of their hiding places. She jumped straight up to avoid them and landed outside the circle of eggs, running as soon as she hit the ground. She could hear branches snapping and leaves crackling behind her as the exeggcute pursued, and she sped up, her thoughts bent on finding Ash.

(o. o)-/

Ash jogged up to the oak tree to find Bayleef waiting for him. She was lying in the shade, resting. She had obviously been there for a while. Ash gave her a mock glare and retrieved his pack.

"Well, looks like you won," he grumbled, shouldering his pack, "even with the restrictions. Good job."

"Bay bay!" Bayleef said, happy with her trainer's praise, however reluctantly it was given. Ash grimaced, which only seemed to make Bayleef happier.

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash asked, looking around. "I thought she would have beaten me here at least."

"Bay."

"Hey! You didn't have to agree with me."

"Bay bayleef bay," Bayleef replied, getting comfortable. It looked like she was preparing to wait.

"Something must have happened," Ash muttered. "She never lets me beat her."

"Bay."

"Pikachu!" Ash called, starting to get worried.

"Hey. Lose something?" Ash spun around and came face to face with another traveler. The man looked to be about Ash's own age with windswept light brown hair and green eyes. He leaned against a tree near the road, hands stuck in the pockets of his jacket.

"Uh, yeah," Ash stumbled, surprised by the appearance of another person. "I can't find my pikachu."

"Well that's a problem. Do you have any idea where it could be?"

"Somewhere in this forest, probably. She—" Ash stopped mid-sentence as the lost pikachu bolted out of the forest in a panic.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called as she ran, eyes showing her fear. She reached him in moments and hid behind his leg, clutching his jeans. Ash looked down at her in confusion.

"Pikachu, what—" Ash was cut off again, this time by Pikachu's pursuers. A swarm of Exeggcute followed from the forest, gathering at the edge of the trees. They halted their advance momentarily when they spotted the humans, but after a bit of muttering between themselves, began moving towards Ash and Pikachu. Ash could only stare in amazement, wondering how in the _world_ Pikachu had managed to get his many pokemon angry at her in such a short amount of time.

"You look a little shell-shocked," the other traveler commented. "If you don't mind, I can handle this one."

Ash nodded gratefully, not looking forward to the struggle it would have been to fend off this many exeggcute with only a grass and an electric pokemon.

"Growlithe, go!" the trainer shouted, throwing a red and white ball. The ball cracked open to release light that quickly shaped itself into a small dog. "Flame wheel!"

"Grooowl!" The fiery dog opened its mouth and released a ring of fire. The fire quickly engulfed the exeggcute, and Ash watched, impressed. Pikachu watched but didn't move from her spot behind her trainer's leg, still traumatized from her experience with the now-burning eggs.

"Alright Growlithe, that's enough!" The dog obediently allowed the fire to die, and the charred eggs were revealed. Slowly they began to stir and roll away back into the forest. Pikachu slumped against Ash's leg in relief.

As the growlithe ran to its master to be praised, Ash knelt down to Pikachu's level and picked her up. She burrowed into his chest and took a deep breath. Just filling her nose with his familiar smell was enough to comfort her.

"Pikachu…what happened?" Ash asked, exasperation creeping into his voice. Pikachu looked up guiltily.

"Pika…pikachu kacha pi-pika pi chu," she explained, dropping her eyes in embarrassment.

"You _fell_ on them? No wonder they were so angry!" Ash laughed, finding Pikachu's experience extremely amusing.

"Pika," Pikachu added, not amused, "pi-pika pikachu kacha pi."

"What!" Ash's demeanor changed instantly from one of amusement to one of concern. "But you're alright?"

"Pi," Pikachu nodded, happy at the change.

"It's lucky that you were able to get away, then. Who knows what would have happened if you had fallen asleep."

"Pika…" Pikachu shuddered and buried her face in Ash's chest, not wanting to think about it.

"You're right," Ash agreed, and hugged his friend. "Let's not go there."

"Is it alright?" The other trainer walked over, Growlithe at his side.

"Yeah, she's fine, just a bit traumatized," Ash replied, giving Pikachu's fur a playful ruffle. She squeaked under the assault and leapt to his shoulder, out of range unless Ash felt like stretching.

"That's great," the other trainer said, looking confused, "but how did it manage to get all those exeggcute mad at it?"

Ash laughed. "She fell on them, and then ran when they tried to use hypnosis on her. They weren't too happy about that."

"No, I suppose they wouldn't be. I'm Alex, by the way." Alex held out his hand and Ash immediately shook it.

"Ash, and thanks for the save back there."

"No problem. Growlithe can always use more training." Hearing its name, the growlithe barked, and was rewarded with a scratch.

Pikachu, now fully recovered from her traumatizing experience, was remembering her manners. She jumped down from Ash's shoulder and walked over to the other trainer. Briefly stopping to sniff noses with the growlithe, she stopped in front of Alex.

"Ka Pikachu," she said, holding a paw out to the trainer. Alex only stared down at her, confused. Ash laughed.

"She's introducing herself," he explained, taking pity on the other trainer. "She wants you to shake her hand—or paw."

"Okay…" Alex knelt down to Pikachu's level and hesitantly gripped her paw in his hand. "I'm Alex. It's…a pleasure to meet you!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu praised, satisfied with the awkward greeting. She gave his hand an enthusiastic shake and then turned and shot back up to Ash's shoulder. Alex slowly straightened, slightly amazed. His growlithe barked in amusement.

"Don't worry, it takes a while to get used to Pikachu," Ash assured him, giving the yellow pokemon an affectionate stroke. "Especially now," he added quietly after a moment. "Being the Master has made your head larger than mine." Pikachu's only reply was to coo at the petting she was receiving.

"I suppose it would," Alex said after a moment, responding to Ash's first assurance. "She's very…unique, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Ash agreed, glancing at his happy pokemon and shaking his head. Even now, after all they'd been through together, she never let him gain an inch.

"So, since we're both here and we're both trainers, how about a battle?"

"You're on," Ash replied eagerly. After all, he was almost in Lavender. He could afford one battle.

"Great! Growlithe, return!" Alex held out a ball and Growlithe was sucked back inside. "Three on three then, with…" Alex trailed off as he saw Ash shaking his head.

"Can't. Pikachu and Bayleef are the only pokemon I have on me right now. Can we do two on two?"

"Are you sure? Your pikachu must be pretty tired from that exeggcute encounter." Alex gave Pikachu a concerned glance, but she flashed a peace sign at him. He frowned.

"Nah, Pikachu's fine," Ash said confidently, seeing the peace sign out of the corner of his eye. "Rules?"

"Yes, it has to actually be two pairs. One pokemon cannot be allowed to overrun both of the other trainer's pokemon."

"Alright," Ash conceded. "Is that it?"

Alex nodded. "That's it."

"Then let's get started!" Ash prompted, impatient and eager for the battle to start. This time Pikachu was no help in subduing him; she was just as excited as he was.

"Pi-pikachu!" she cheered, happy at the opportunity to test her skills.

"Wait," Alex said, holding up a hand to stop Ash from sending out a pokemon. "I already know which pokemon you have, so I'll go first. Electabuzz, go!" This time the ball opened to reveal an odd yellow creature that looked vaguely like a tiger but stood on two legs and had spikes like lightning rods sprouting from its head.

"Electabuzz!" it yelled, flexing its arm muscles and allowing sparks to bounce between its two antennae.

"Pikaaa," Pikachu growled, provoked by the appearance of another electric pokemon. She got ready to jump down but Ash held up a hand to stop her.

"No, Pikachu. I'm saving you for whatever he sends out next." Pikachu paused but obeyed Ash's wishes, although she still wanted to pit her strength against the other electric type. She realized, however, that it was the best move for Ash to save his strongest pokemon for the wild card that would come next. Resigned to waiting, she settled back down on his shoulder.

"Bayleef, you're up," Ash called, not even moving his eyes from his opponent. In what appeared to be an unconscious gesture he twisted his hat backwards into 'challenge mode'.

"Bayleef!" Bayleef cried, obediently dashing to the front as her trainer requested. She positioned herself between Ash and the electabuzz, and matched the electric pokemon's display of power with a fierce leaf twirl and a stamp.

"Alright Electabuzz, it's a grass type, you know what that means. Start it off with screech!"

"Bayleef, brace yourself!" Ash countered, hoping to feel as little an effect as possible.

"Bay," Bayleef muttered, settling herself into a sturdier position and glaring at Electabuzz as it opened its mouth and uttered an ear-shattering screech. Bayleef's tail twitched slightly at the sound, but she gave no other sign that the attack had affected her at all.

"Huh…" Alex muttered, surprised. "Looks like this'll be harder than I thought…"

"Razor leaf!" On Ash's orders Bayleef swung her large leaf to release a volley of smaller, razor-edged leaves. A few of the fastest and deadliest ones hit the other pokemon before its trainer recovered enough to order a light screen. Wincing against the rain of leaves, the electabuzz raised its hands and produced a shield of yellow light that Bayleef's leaves only bounced off of.

"Now, Electabuzz; ice punch!" Alex commanded, seeing he had the upper hand. Ash tensed as he saw ice crystals begin to form around the electric pokemon's fist. He waited for the right moment, and then:

"Bayleef, jump!" Immediately Bayleef shot out of the way of the ice, using her vines to propel her much higher than would normally be possible. Alex gasped as Bayleef rose high enough to block out the sun. "Now use your height for a body slam!" Ash ended with the follow-up command.

"Bay!" the grass pokemon screamed as she hurtled down at the electabuzz. She penetrated the light screen as if it was air and slammed into the other pokemon with all the momentum of the jump behind her, leaving the electabuzz lying on the ground. The observers waited in suspense for Electabuzz to move again, but it didn't rise. Eventually Alex shook his head.

"You're good, I'll give you that," he acknowledged as he withdrew his electabuzz. Ash grinned.

"Bay!" Bayleef cried and raced over to her trainer for a hug. Ash hugged her around the neck and she nuzzled happily into his chest.

"You were awesome, Bayleef," Ash congratulated her. "I'm proud. But I think it would be better if you stayed inside your ball for the next round. You should rest."

Bayleef stepped away and nodded, and Ash drew out her ball, recalling her in a flash of light.

"Ready for round two?" Alex questioned, seeing that Ash's half-victory celebration was over. He chose a pokeball from his belt and clicked the button. It made a whirring noise as it grew to its full size. "I think I can promise you that this one will be harder."

"Me and Pikachu are ready for anything you've got," Ash promised. "And if you think my Bayleef was strong, just wait till you see Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, jumping down from Ash's shoulder to enter the battle field. Despite her and her trainer's confident words, she felt some stirs of nervousness as she stared at the ball in Alex's hand, wondering what would come out. Even after all these years, after all these victories, she still felt a bit nervous before a battle. But it was something she had come to enjoy, the butterflies were now her friends; they heightened her senses in a fight and increased her speed and reactions. Being nervous when her opponent was overconfident had allowed her to win more than one battle in the past.

"I don't care how strong your pikachu is," Alex taunted competitively. "There's one thing no electric pokemon can deal with, and I've got the best example right here. I'm afraid you can't win this one. Golem, I choose you!"

This time the flash revealed something that resembled a round boulder with feet and a head. It clenched its gigantic paws and its red eyes glittered menacingly.

"Goolem," the moving rock ground out. Alex grinned and folded his arms, thinking the battle already won, but he was met with two identical expressions of satisfaction from Ash and Pikachu.

"Perfect," Ash declared, pulling in a fist in a victory motion. "Pikachu could use more practice with ground types."

"Chu," Pikachu nodded in agreement. She watched the rock advancing toward her, each step shaking the ground, and showed no sign of worry or fear.

"You're way too cocky," Alex informed them both. "There's no way a _pikachu_ can win against a golem."

"Everyone says that at the beginning," Ash replied flippantly, unconcerned. "You'll change soon enough."

"We'll see about that. Golem, earthquake!" The golem lifted a foot to initiate an earthquake, giving Ash a brief instant to shout an order. It was hardly necessary, however. Pikachu already knew what to do, what her trainer would ask her to do, and she was in motion even before he spoke.

"Pikachu, dodge it with an iron tail!"

"What?" Alex muttered, confused at the order. Pikachu, confident in a strategy that had earned them victory more than once, dashed forward. As the golem's fists came crashing down to shake the earth, she shot up from the ground. In midair she twisted, tail aglow, and used her momentum to slam her tail into the tender spot just above the golem's skull, a bit of skin that wasn't completely protected by rock.

The golem cried out in pain, and, with the earth still shaking, clutched at its head. Pikachu danced out of the way of its large claws, her own tiny claws scrabbling on the other pokemon's rocky back.

"Golem, shake it off!" Alex commanded looking slightly annoyed. The golem obediently spun its rocky bulk, attempting to rid itself of the electric rodent. Pikachu, however, dug her claws in between the rock segments and refused to let go.

"Pikachu, iron tail, but don't let go!" Ash cautioned. Pikachu nodded her understanding, and dug her claws in even more firmly before swinging her glowing tail once more. This time the impact was not nearly as great, not having as much momentum behind it, but it was still felt by the rock pokemon. It cried out again, although more in annoyance this time than any real pain. Ash's smile turned grim, and Pikachu knew what it meant; this golem would need a really hard hit to fall. Pikachu's spirits fell slightly, but she kept her eyes on her trainer's face as she clung to Golem and waited for the ground to be safe again.

Suddenly Ash's face brightened with what Pikachu hoped was an idea, and she felt her spirits lift along with his. The ground stilled, and Ash gestured to her to get off. Gratefully she gave up her spot on the golem's back and jumped to the ground, running a short distance away before pausing, and putting her out of the range of immediate harm. Alex grinned, thinking he saw an opportunity. Pikachu grinned back, knowing he was wrong.

"Golem, rock throw!"

"Pikachu, dodge it with quick attack!"

"GoooLEM!" the golem cried, lifting a huge boulder out of nowhere and chucking it at Pikachu. Pikachu zipped away, leaving a shining trail of light behind her. She raced towards the golem, her tail beginning to glow slightly already in anticipation of Ash's next command.

"Now, use your speed for an iron tail!" Ash shouted, although he knew it was really just for his own peace of mind. He could see Pikachu's tail glowing even before he gave the order.

Pikachu dashed up to the golem, still prepared for a quick attack, but at the last minute used her speed to propel her upwards, and from there spun the momentum downwards once more, hitting the same weak spot with her shining tail. The golem gave a crackling roar and collapsed, Pikachu landing on top of its rough hide.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered, sitting up on the rock and giving Ash their peace sign of victory. But before Ash could return it, the rock Pikachu was sitting on shifted slightly, upsetting her balance and almost knocking her over. She fell back on all fours, confused. Hadn't it fainted?

"Golem!" Alex shouted, joyous. "Great job, you hung on! Now, explosion!"

"Pi?!" Pikachu squealed, looking down at the rock beneath her feet in fear. It started to rumble threateningly and began to shake, and Pikachu frantically cast around for something to protect her. They didn't have a strategy for this, dammit! Why didn't they have a strategy for this?!

"Pikachu!" Ash called desperately, running out into the field himself. Pikachu responded to his call without hesitation.

"Pikapi!" she cried as she bolted towards her trainer, jumping into his arms. Ash immediately turned to run away from the impending explosion, but he didn't get far before it was upon them. He threw himself down on the ground, protecting Pikachu with his own body just as the BOOM sounded behind them.

Pikachu squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed against Ash's chest, protected from the worst of the blast. She allowed a slight electrical current to flow from her through her trainer in the hope that it would fry anything that came at them. Finally the dust settled and the newly brunette trainer cracked open an eye.

"Pikachu?" he whispered, his voice sounding gravelly. "You okay, pal?"

"Cha," she replied softly in reassurance. "Pikapi…" She gave Ash's cheek a lick of thanks, knowing that it was against the rules of a battle to protect one pokemon from another's attack. Yet he had still rescued her… "Chu?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…I think," Ash replied uncertainly. "Just a little dusty." Pikachu looked at him in concern and he summoned a smile. "As long as you're alright, I'll be fine."

"Chaa," she cooed finally, snuggling her head underneath his chin. Ash gave her a brief scratch and rose to his feet, groaning.

"Ash!" Alex yelled, running over. Golem was nowhere to be seen. "Ash! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ash repeated, putting a hand to his head and looking surprised when his hand came away coated in dust. Pikachu couldn't keep in a quiet giggle.

"Why did you do that? You could have been seriously hurt doing something like that!" Alex looked utterly astonished, obviously not understanding what possible motivation Ash could have had to risk himself like that.

"I couldn't just let her get badly hurt like that," Ash explained. "It's still pretty far to the next pokemon centre. She would have suffered."

"She would have been fine in her pokeball," Alex countered. Ash shook his head.

"I don't use her pokeball. She's my companion and best friend, and she's treated like it." Ash tactfully refrained from mentioning his friend's fear of the balls.

"You do realize you forfeited the match," Alex informed him gravely after a pause.

Ash looked down at the unharmed mouse in his arms and performed a quick mental assessment. Almost immediately he came to the conclusion that yes, saving Pikachu the pain had been worth losing that match.

"Yeah," he whispered finally. "I know."

"Alright," Alex said, looking uncomfortable. "That means the battle as a whole is tied."

"Yeah," Ash said again, amazed that he hadn't won for once. He shook his head wryly and held out his hand to Alex. "Good match."

"Definitely," Alex agreed, grasping Ash's hand. "I will never underestimate a pikachu again." He paused, still looking uncomfortable. "I'm surprised you're not making a big deal out of this, actually. You would have won."

Ash only smiled, albeit a bit bitterly. "I know, but I also know that what I did was against the rules. I can accept that. Besides, there was nothing else I _could_ have done."

"Pikapi," Pikachu murmured, eyes shining as she looked up at her trainer. _He's never done this before, put my health and happiness first, _she marveled to herself. _The battle, the dream, has always come before anything else. He has _never_ interfered in a battle. _"Pichuka."

"You don't need to thank me, Pikachu," Ash protested, surprised. "Friends look out for each other, right?"

"Chu," she whispered in agreement. She felt her eyes watering up and to prevent the tears from falling she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face against Ash's chest once more.

"Hey," Ash murmured, slightly disturbed. He ran a hand comfortingly along her back. "Pikachu, what's wrong?"

"Pikachu pika kachu, Pikapi?" Pikachu met Ash's eyes with her own which were now sparkling with unshed tears. "Pi chuka pipi."

"Ah." Ash paused, taking in what Pikachu had just said. "Pikachu, I've done the dream. It's not over, but I am where I wanted to be. I see now that friends and family come first, and that means you come first. You had no chance against that attack, and you fainting would have only put you in pain. I won't allow that."

"Pikapi…pichu."

"Love you too, buddy."

Contented, Pikachu closed her eyes, this time in rest, and settled down in Ash's arms. Ash raised his head and met Alex's gaze.

"That's impressive," he began, "how close you two are. I'm jealous."

"It took a long time, and, well… Let's just say that over the years I've developed a pretty strong resistance to electricity."

Alex laughed, and commented, "It doesn't look like you two ever had any problems. You're so…synchronized."

"You didn't see her when we were racing. She never lets me win at anything." Pikachu gave a small 'chaa' of contented agreement at this and Ash grinned.

"I guess not," Alex conceded. "So what was that dream you were talking about?"

Without thinking, Ash replied, "The same one that every trainer has." He then frowned in confusion at the look of astonishment that slowly dawned on Alex's face.

"You…you're Ash _Ketchum_?" he stuttered, his mouth hanging open. Ash sighed, finally understanding, and nodded. "You're the Pokemon _Master_?" Another nod. "But…you mean I just tied in a battle with the Master?"

Ash gave another sigh. "Yes…" He mentally kicked himself for giving away his status, knowing it would lead to a reaction such as this. What he did not expect, however, was a teasing smile to cross the other man's face.

"You do realize that everyone in the world will soon know your weakness," Alex pointed out. "You'll be facing explosions and self-destructs everywhere." A look of determination came to Ash's face.

"It won't be a weakness for long," the Pokemon Master countered firmly. "There's a reason I've gotten as far as I have, and it was not because I let every little obstacle stop me."

"I sure hope not. All the same, I think I'll give you a head start on this one." Alex gave him a small, friendly wink.

"Really," Ash said suspiciously. "You don't want to brag?"

"Of course I want to brag. But no one would believe me anyway, so I guess I might as well just tell them that you stomped me flat. It's enough to be able to say that I met you at all."

"Thank you," Ash replied sincerely. "This one may take a while."

"Well, don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tattle."

Ash nodded, and there was a short silence as they both mulled things over. Alex was the first one to break it.

"I have to ask," Alex began, though he appeared hesitant. "What's it like?" They both knew what 'it' he was referring to.

"To be honest, it's still strange," Ash confided. "I always dreamed of being the Master, but now that it's real… I mean, it's great, but I never _really_ expected to make it, you know?"

"Yeah," Alex said, understanding. "And for all those like you who don't expect to make it and do, there are thousands who _know_ they'll make it, and don't."

"I suppose so." Ash paused and the two trainers stared at each other for a moment, understanding passing between them on what it truly meant to be a trainer, one who clings to a dream that will only come true for a single special person.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned, curious at the prolonged silence. Ash looked down at his pokemon, his best friend, knowing that this was the one thing she would never be able to understand. He summoned a smile and gave her a scratch, eliciting a small coo of pleasure.

"So good luck on wherever you're heading. No," Alex warned, seeing Ash open his mouth, "don't tell me; the media might pry it out of me. They're asking for sightings of you, you know."

Ash shook his head wryly. "I know. It's definitely one of the worst things about being the Master. Good luck to you as well."

"Thanks." Alex began to walk away, but turned around again after only a few steps. "I'll see you around?"

"If nothing else, you'll certainly see me on TV," Ash replied, laughing. "Goodbye and good luck!"

"Same to you." Alex turned and walked away for the final time. Ash turned to the supposedly sleeping pikachu.

"Well buddy, it's just you and me again," he told the little yellow bundle. "And it's still a long way to Lavender." Ash paused to see if he would get a response, but Pikachu's ears only twitched to indicate she was listening. Ash grinned evilly. "You up for another race?"

"_Chu,_" Pikachu muttered in reply, treating her trainer to a small thundershock for his cruel joke. Ash, however, merely laughed it off and started walking, the bundle in his arms still once more.

(o. o)

The pair arrived in Lavender at dusk, the battle and Ash's easy pace eating up more time than had been expected. Pikachu was actually asleep by the time they reached the city and Ash, just as tired as his pokemon if not more so, decided to head directly to the pokemon center. His whole back was sore, which he suspected was an effect of sheltering Pikachu from the explosion. He did _not_ want to do anything else while in that condition, especially since he would also have to carry the sleeping Pikachu around. If he woke her up, she would sit on his shoulder and just hurt his back more, and if he left her at the center she would kill him for abandoning her. It was a lose-lose situation, and Ash really didn't see any point in losing.

So the Pokemon Master gave Bayleef to the nurse for a well-deserved healing and slumped into one of the waiting chairs, Pikachu still asleep in his lap. He closed his eyes for a quick rest, only for a moment…

"Sir," he heard dimly, and had to wonder why the giant tomato was talking to him. "Sir," it repeated, and now Pikachu, who was eating the giant tomato, looked at it in astonishment as well.

"Sir, wake up." This last was accompanied by a shove, not forceful but still enough to jerk Ash out of the abstract dream he was having about Pikachu eating a giant tomato. "Sir, your pokemon is ready."

"Wha?" Ash mumbled, still not fully awake. His eyes scanned the room in an attempt to pinpoint his location, and as it is with gathering consciousness, his memory returned suddenly. "Oh!" he exclaimed, jerking up in his seat. "I'm sorry—I must have dozed off."

"I can see that," the nurse replied, trying to hide a smile and failing. She held out a pokeball to him. "Your pokemon is ready."

"Thanks." Ash took the ball, minimized it, and stuck it on his belt with Pikachu's lone, slightly dusty ball.

"Would you like me to look at your pikachu?" the nurse questioned politely, a kinder smile in place.

"No thanks. I don't want to wake her up."

"Of course. She doesn't look injured, so she will most likely be fine after some sleep." Ash nodded.

"Well, thank you for taking care of Bayleef."

"No problem. It was in great health." With that final compliment, the nurse turned away and went back inside the offices. Used to compliments on his pokemon, Ash brushed it aside and carefully picked up Pikachu. He stood, resettling her in his arms, and headed into one of the spare rooms the hospital always had on hand for trainers. He placed Pikachu on the soft white bed while he did the basic preparations to sleep.

Finally he placed his pokeballs on the nightstand beside the bed and gratefully lay down on the clean bed. He sighed happily into the pillow and was just drifting off when he felt something moving across the bed. He cracked an eye open and spotted Pikachu stumbling over to him from where he had placed her at the foot of the bed.

He smiled as she tripped over his legs, obviously not at all awake. Eventually she made her way up to his head, mostly through trial-and-error, and curled up just over his heart. He heard her give a contented sigh and fall into a deep, restful sleep. Unable to resist, Ash echoed Pikachu's happy sigh and drifted off to sleep, this time without interruption.

(o. o)-/

"Pika!"

"Hey, watch it!" Ash yelled to the man who had so rudely run into him, almost knocking Pikachu from his shoulder. Ash shook his head in disapproval when he received no reply. "Where is he headed in such a hurry, anyway? It's Lavender Town."

"Pika…" Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's head to get a better look at where the guy was going. Ash, wary of a pickpocket, checked his bag and wallet to make sure nothing was missing. Happily, nothing was, and he continued walking.

He and Pikachu were doing the rounds of the town, taking today as a rest day. The goal for the day was to gather all the needed materials and just rest; tomorrow they would conquer the mountain. Ash was getting excited just thinking about it; it would be another adventure for him, possibly the biggest yet. He had really been idle for way too long.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called, and waved her tail in front of his face to get his attention. Ash stopped and pushed the lightning bolt out of his face, amused by the tactic.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Pika pi-pikachu," she answered, and Ash turned around curiously. Suddenly Pikachu jumped down from his head and dashed off through the streets. Ash stared after her for a moment before realizing she wasn't coming back.

"Pikachu!" he called in vain, and took off running in the direction she had gone. He followed a flash of yellow through a side street, and skidded to a stop when he found himself in a large paved square. There was a large crowd gathered around something that looked vaguely like a stage. The crowd blocked his view and he couldn't see more.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu came running up to him from somewhere near the crowd. He sighed and picked her up.

"Don't go running off like that," he chided. "Remember the Rhydon thing?"

"Pikachu kacha," Pikachu replied, brushing off the rebuke.

"I know it's only Lavender Town, but we should still stick together."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed finally. The crowd gave a particularly loud, unintelligible cheer and Pikachu immediately brightened. "Pi pi Pikapi," she urged, pointing towards the crowd. Ash gave a valiant effort but couldn't conceal the interest that showed on his face. Pikachu chirped happily and slipped out of his grip to sit comfortably on his head as he attempted to weave through the mass of people.

Finally he reached the front of the crowd, mostly thanks to his size and the fact that Pikachu was not above 'persuading' people to move out of their way. The stage that Ash had glimpsed was there, but it was of course what was on the stage that had the people so enthralled.

There was a boy standing on the stage, bowing to the audience. He was blonde and blue-eyed, and couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve. There was something beside him—Ash's eyes widened when he realized that the pink blob on the stage was actually a ditto. _It's just like Duplica,_ he mused. _I wonder if this ditto has the same problem._

"Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind," the kid onstage announced graciously. "Now, if I may have another volunteer… Ma'am, do you have any pokemon?"

The woman in question, a small lady with grey hair, nodded and made her awkward way up to the stage. The ditto moved to help the lady, and without any direction from its trainer, transformed into a machoke to help her up the stairs. Ash smiled as the crowd applauded.

"Now miss," the boy continued, the ditto returning to his side as a ditto. "Please show us the pokemon you know the best."

The lady pulled out a pokeball and out popped a beautiful bellossum. It spun in a circle once to show off, the perfume from its flowers causing the air to sparkle. Again the crowd applauded, and this time Ash and Pikachu joined in.

"Ditto, transform," the boy ordered. The pink blob at his side sparkled and rearranged itself in the shape of the bellossum across from it. A quick glance at its face showed it to be free of the problem that Duplica's ditto had been afflicted with. Suddenly a small red curtain dropped down seemingly out of nowhere to cover the two identical pokemon. After a moment where nothing seemed to happen, the curtain was lifted and Ash noticed that it remained suspended above the stage by a network of ropes and pulleys.

"Ma'am, would you do us the honour of picking out your pokemon?" The boy gestured towards the two bellossum, giving the audience a wink. There was a smattering of applause, but most people were watching the old lady, who was studying the two bellossum intently. Finally she shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted, laughing. "I can't tell them apart. Maybe…this one?" she picked up one of the pokemon, only to have it melt in her hands and reveal itself to be the fake. The audience cheered, loving the demonstration.

The ditto slipped out of the lady's hands to return to its trainer and her bellossum cheered good-naturedly for the skill of the ditto. She recalled it and made it off the stage without help, still smiling. Again the audience cheered.

"Thank you, really. And I think that's it for today…" the boy trailed off, obviously hoping to be called back. He wasn't disappointed as shouts of protest rang out through the crowd.

"Alright then," the boy agreed a large smile on his face. "I guess I have time for one more demonstration." The huge grin reminded Ash that the performer was still just a kid and he frowned. Pikachu, sensing the direction of his thoughts, put in her two cents.

"Pikachu-pi pika kachu," she commented, not taking her eyes off the stage. Ash sighed at his silliness.

"You're right, of course," he agreed, and Pikachu nodded in approval. "If I started my journey at ten, why can't he? Ignore me, I'm just being silly. I think I've been around adults too long."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed, sparing him a glance. He gave her a self-mocking grin and she turned back to the stage, satisfied with her trainer's state of mind.

"Now I'll need another volunteer," the boy onstage continued, bright blue eyes scanning the crowd. "What about you, sir? You have pokemon."

Ash blinked like a deer caught in the headlights when he saw the boy's gaze settle on him. He glanced around, hoping to find that the boy was actually speaking to someone else.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, sir," the boy laughed, finding Ash's confusion amusing. "The one with the pikachu."

"Uh, I'd rather not," Ash tried. He didn't want to spoil the kid's show, but there was no chance that he would be tricked again by a ditto. Pikachu, not understanding his hesitance, butted him with her head in encouragement. People around him began to push him towards the stage as well, and he finally gave in.

"Fine," he sighed, making his way up to the platform. As soon as he was in place Pikachu leapt down from his head to stand beneath the hanging curtain. Ash gave her a glance and she allowed her cheeks to spark a bit, making scorch marks in the planks at her feet. There was applause at Pikachu's display of power, especially by those close enough to the stage see the marks.

"Pikachu it is," the boy stated, and gave the crowd a wink, confident of victory already. "Ditto, transform!"

Ditto began to sparkle and eventually rearranged itself into a perfect replica of Pikachu. It gave a quick cry and bounded over to stand beside the other pokemon. As the curtain fell Ash, not wanting to upset the kid's show, began to form a plan.

As soon as the curtain was down, the ditto turned to Pikachu and asked to switch sides. Pikachu held up a paw to wait, and the ditto stopped, looking confused.

_"Okay, what's the trick?"_ she asked, looking at the ditto suspiciously. The pikachu-shaped pokemon shook its head.

_"No trick, although no one has ever gotten it right."_ The ditto looked like it was done talking, but Pikachu gave it a hard look and it shuffled a bit, _"Well, there is a slight trick."_

Pikachu waited, but finally prompted, _"Yes?"_ The ditto still looked reluctant, and Pikachu added, _"Who am I going to tell?"_ Thankfully the ditto appeared satisfied with this.

_"We make the other pokemon look duller and I appear more attractive."_ The ditto stopped again, but this time Pikachu could tell it was for dramatic effect. It seemed proud of its secret, and happy to be able to brag to someone. _"It's all mirrors."_

_"So the trainers will go for you."_ The ditto nodded, and Pikachu added, _"Well, it won't work with _Pikapi_. He'll see through it."_

_"I don't think so,"_ the ditto replied confidently. Pikachu ignored its last comment and finally allowed it to switch places with her. The curtain rose.

Ash watched as the red cloth square rose after an abnormally long amount of time. The ditto trainer as well as the audience had started to get anxious and suspicious, but Ash wasn't worried. While he wasn't quite sure what his friend was up to, he knew she could handle whatever it was.

"Now, trainer, would you please pick out your pokemon?" the boy asked, looking confident again now that his ditto was visible. Ash walked over to stand in front of the two pikachu.

His eyes passed quickly over the fake to his right and settled on Pikachu. He locked gazes with her long enough for her to understand that he could tell which one was the fake, and then adopted a confused expression.

"I'm not sure," Ash said, scratching his head. "Maybe…this one?" He reached over to the fake, purposely ignoring Pikachu. He picked the ditto up and it dissolved in his arms as the crowd applauded.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered, content in the knowledge that her trainer hadn't been fooled. The ditto slipped out of Ash's hands but Pikachu, trying not to look too happy at the apparent failure of her trainer to recognize her, didn't jump up for a hug. Instead she remained standing beside Ash as the boy bowed.

"Thank you, thank you," the kid said through the applause. "And now I really must be going. Thank you all, you've been a wonderful audience!" The audience, their calls of protest ignored, began to disperse. Ash began to make his way off the stage, Pikachu at his heels, grateful for Lavender's tiny size and isolation. If it had been any larger, someone would have recognized him and he would have been forced to pick Pikachu out to preserve his reputation.

"Wait!" Ash halted at the boy's call and turned around, curious. "Can we try that once more?"

"Chu?" Pikachu queried, equally curious. Ash remained silent, content to let his friend speak for him.

"I want to do the transformation again," the kid explained. "But this time you have to really try." Ash's eyes widened.

"How did you…"

"You're not a very good actor," the boy informed with a flat look. "Now can we try that again?"

Ash frowned but finally nodded. Catching her trainer's nod, Pikachu ran over to her old spot, easily identified by the small scorch marks.

"Okay Ditto, transform!"

"Pikachu."

"Pikachu."

Two identical pikachus now blinked at the two humans, and the curtain fell again. It lifted much more quickly this time, and Ash walked over to the two yellow pokemon. With no hesitation he reached across the closest pokemon and picked up the second.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu praised happily, and Ash, laughing, gave her the hug she had wanted. "Chaa," she cooed, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Ash's and letting out a few sparks in the process, forgetting momentarily that her trainer was not another pikachu. Ash, used to this, didn't even flinch.

"That's amazing," the boy said, frowning. His ditto resumed its natural form and flowed over to him. "No one's ever seen through our trick before."

"Whatever you do, it doesn't change the eyes," Ash informed him, Pikachu still in his arms. "And I'd know Pikachu anywhere."

"Pikacha!" Pikachu agreed. She looked up at her trainer. "Pikachu kacha pika pichu."

"Mirrors, huh?" Ash mused, glancing around the stage. His eyes caught a glimmer of something and he grinned. "Yeah, look, there's one over there." He pointed to the mirror he had spotted attached to the corner of the stage. Pikachu nodded and pointed to the now-suspended curtain, which was also covered with small mirrors.

"How…did you know that?" the boy stuttered, shocked. Ash's grin widened.

"Pikachu interrogated your ditto. Right?" he ended, looking to the electric mouse for confirmation.

"Pi."

"Oh," the blonde stated. "Well, it shouldn't have told you that." He paused, considering. "This is a problem. If you could see through it, then that means it's not foolproof…" As if he had just realized something, he looked up at Ash and added, "Thank you for trying to act fooled. Hopefully no one else noticed."

"I didn't think I was that obvious," Ash muttered. The boy didn't comment, and he continued, "Well, you're welcome. I didn't want to ruin your show, and the crowd really seemed to like it." The boy brightened.

"They did, didn't they?" he chirped. "Um, I'm William by the way," he added belatedly, holding out his hand to Ash. Ash smiled and gripped it.

"Ash." Ash paused, and then added, "Do you know Duplica, by any chance?"

"Um, yeah," William responded slowly. "Who doesn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well anyone that's heard of a ditto has heard of Duplica. What, have you been living under a rock or something?"

Remembering his long stint of training within Mt. Silver, Ash put a hand behind his neck and chuckled. "Something like that."

"Duplica is only the world's most renowned ditto master," William proclaimed importantly. "She runs her own school of performing arts for ditto trainers. I am her top student."

"Wow, I really have been living under a rock," Ash muttered to himself. "Or in a bubble."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed soberly.

"I'll have to go visit her someday," Ash added more loudly. "It'd be nice to catch up."

"Sure," William muttered, doubting that the black-haired trainer really knew his teacher. "You're lucky if you actually know Duplica."

"I guess I am." Ash paused, reflecting on their last meeting with her, her ditto, and Minidit. Pikachu poked him and drew him out of his thoughts, gesturing with her tail to leave.

"Well, I guess we'll be going then," Ash told the ditto trainer. "See you."

"Bye," William waved absently, presumably not considering the problem of how to fix his act. Ash turned and walked off the stage, Pikachu again on his shoulder. The sounds of the collapsing stage and the grunts of the Ditto-turned-Machoke followed them out of the square.

(o. o)

Ash and Pikachu stared at the pokeball in Ash's hand. It shone brightly in the dimming sun that was streaming in through the window, the white half glittering merrily in spite of the dying sun and its own future. Ash couldn't help but feel guilty for sending Bayleef back when she was such a good friend, but the dream had been clear on that, at least. He and Pikachu had to go alone. Resigned, Ash finally tossed the ball, releasing the creature it contained.

"Bayleef!" the grass pokemon cried, free of her confinement. She immediately adopted a fighting stance, ready for anything, but was surprised to find herself inside a pokemon center with Ash and Pikachu looking at her sadly. She relaxed her stance and tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Bayleef, we're in Lavender Town now," Ash explained. "Tomorrow me and Pikachu will go to the mountain. We have to send you back to Oak."

"Bay…" Bayleef dropped her head and her leaf drooped.

"Hey, it's not that bad," Ash comforted, going over to her. Pikachu jumped down to stand a little ways off. "We'll only be gone for a little while."

"Bay?" Bayleef raised her head hopefully. Ash winced.

"Well, I don't really know how long we'll be gone," he backtracked, wanting to be honest. "But I promise that we'll come see you as soon as we get back."

"Bayleef," she agreed, nodding. Her eyes began to sparkle with tears and Ash felt horrible.

"It can't be that bad with the professor," Ash tried, laying a comforting hand on her neck. "He takes care of you, doesn't he?"

"Bayleef bay bayleef," she responded, butting her head against Ash's chest for a hug. Not completely understanding what she had said, Ash simply gave her the hug. She sniffled and snuggled her head against his chin.

"It's okay," he soothed. "It's not like it's goodbye forever or anything." Bayleef didn't respond, only remained in Ash's arms.

Pikachu, watching this interaction from a few meters away, realized what was wrong. The persian's hateful words rang in her mind and she went forward, deciding to try her luck at comforting the grass type.

"Pikapi kachu pikachu," she assured Bayleef, coming to stand beside her. Bayleef sniffed and turned her watery gaze on Pikachu. Ash spared Pikachu a glance and then turned back to Bayleef to enforce the yellow pokemon's words.

"She's right, you know. I'll never abandon you—any of you."

"Bay," Bayleef agreed, nodding. The assurance seemed to calm her a little and Ash, seeing the final acceptance, turned to the nearby computer terminal and contacted Professor Oak's lab. Within a few minutes the face of the old researcher appeared on the screen.

"Ash!" his voice came in, sounding only faintly distant and mechanical. "Have you safely reached Lavender Town, then?"

"That's right Professor. We're heading up the mountain tomorrow."

"I suppose there's no way to talk you out of this?"

"Nope," Ash replied cheerfully. Oak sighed.

"Well then, transfer Bayleef over." Ash looked confused and Oak explained, "I can see her peeking over your shoulder there." Ash looked and sure enough he found her head right beside his. He laughed, but it quickly died when he pulled out Bayleef's pokeball.

"Bay!" she cried, running at him for another hug. Forgetting all her previous lessons on tackling people, she struck Ash with so much force that he staggered. She looked up at him, guilt replacing sadness in her eyes for a moment, and Ash smiled.

"It's alright Bayleef," he assured her, giving her another hug. Pikachu, not wanting to intrude on the trainer/pokemon moment, cast her eyes around the room and spotted Nurse Joy. The nurse was standing in the middle of the room, watching the tearful goodbye with a sympathetic expression. Her eyes strayed to Pikachu and, finding herself watched, she produced a small, sad smile and continued on into the ER.

"Pi…" she sighed sadly, ears drooping. Somehow sympathy from someone else made it worse.

"See you soon," Ash said finally as he and Bayleef parted, and Pikachu's attention was drawn back to the scene with the sound of her trainer's voice.

"Bay."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu dashed over to Bayleef, unable to let her leave without a proper goodbye. She purposefully turned her back on Bayleef and offered her tail up to the grass pokemon. Bayleef stared for a moment in confusion, but her face brightened when she realized what was going on.

"Bay!" she exclaimed happily, and dropped her head to Pikachu's level. Using her leaf as a makeshift tail, they shook hands pikachu style. Both separated smiling.

"Goodbye Bayleef," Ash whispered, and before Bayleef had a chance to lose the happy mood that Pikachu had given her, sucked her back inside her ball. He sighed and bowed his head, his hat casting his face in shadow, and placed the pokeball on the pad. He and Pikachu watched in silence as sparks of electricity teleported Bayleef away.

"Good luck, Ash," Oak said, and Ash nodded. The connection was severed and Ash was left staring at a black screen.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu leapt up to Ash's shoulder and gave him a nuzzle. "Pikachu pika pi pikacha."

"I know we'll always have each other. That will never change." Ash paused, and then added, "But it's never easy to say goodbye to a friend."

"Chu."

Finally Ash turned away from the place where he had last seen Bayleef and headed towards their room, Pikachu on his shoulder. As the two friends settled down for the night, they understood that while they would always be together, friends forever, the same could not be true for others.

(o. o)-/

The screen didn't dim quite so fast on the Professor's end, and the split-second flash of Pikachu giving Ash a cheering nuzzle was enough to douse any friendly feelings Bayleef had been entertaining for the electric mouse. That tail-shake thing had almost got to her, but… Bayleef shook her head. She would not forget who her rival was.

She turned away from the computer and made for the lab doors with slow, deliberate steps. She heard Oak call her name from behind her, but she ignored him. She knew the layout of this place like the back of her paw; she had certainly been here long enough.

Bayleef's leaf sagged as she relived the trip in her head. She just couldn't understand what was so special about Pikachu. Sure, the rat had known Ash the longest, but apparently they hadn't even gotten along at first. Still, for some reason the two were inseparable and Pikachu was treated like a treasured friend. Bayleef hadn't witnessed this kind of relationship between a human and a pokemon ever before, and it had been that which had originally drawn her to Ash. She had wanted it for herself. And although it had sometimes been frustrating, she had never given up on the hope that one day, if she just kept trying, Ash would see her as he saw Pikachu…which would mean, of course, that Pikachu would necessarily be out of the picture. But now that Ash and Pikachu were together all day, every day, while she was cooped up in this _lab_…well, there really was no hope.

Not that she hadn't tried anyways. But the most frustrating thing was that Ash didn't even seem to notice his blatant favouritism. It seemed to her that Pikachu was somehow elevated in his mind to something beyond a pokemon, to…well, she wasn't quite sure what. At any rate, the rat had achieved a place that Bayleef – or any other of Ash's pokemon – could never hope to reach.

Pokeballs didn't cut off the outside world quite as much as people seemed to think, and Bayleef was not deaf. She knew that Pikachu had lost against that golem. She also knew that Ash had risked his life to save her, and had heard the oh-so-touching conversation that had followed. She had noticed that he only included friends and family as being above winning, and she was willing to bet her leaf that he would not include _her _in that category. No, Bayleef would have faced that same blast alone, because, of course, _she_ could handle it.

She had also noticed that the rat's defeat was never mentioned, and there was no mention of extra training or new tactics. If she was feeling more charitable, she would explain it away with their new journey, but that final parting image of Pikachu and Ash would not leave her mind. The defeat was not mentioned because the rat was just that _special_.

The irony of the rat's parting words had not been lost on her. It was all very well and good for Pikachu to say Ash would never leave her, because for the rat this was true. But Bayleef was all too aware of the invisible distinction Ash seemed to draw between Pikachu and all other pokemon, and she was equally aware that it was a line she could never cross. If there had been any remaining doubts before this little trip, they were gone now.

Bayleef butted her head against the heavy lab door, pushing it open and blinking into the setting sun, which was turning the grass an ugly blood red. Her eyes immediately landed on the grass pokemon across the field from her, dyed a similar red, and she began to trot towards it. Her appearance was greeted with a happy "Bulba" and she smiled sadly in return. At least there was one other that understood.

* * *

**Hmm…I do seem to like random trainers. Let me know if you think they were okay, because I'm not really sure. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the feel-good filler, since things will be getting more interesting from here…and darker. I think Bayleef's insight foreshadowed that quite nicely. As always, comments and critism are appreciated!**


	5. Mountain

**Chappie five, finally! A big thanks as always to everyone who reviewed (and also to those people who added favourites and alerts) as without them I tend to forget I have a story to write. More plot here, more action, and a more reasonable length - enjoy!**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 5: Mountain_

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"It's big."

"Pi."

Ash and Pikachu stared up at the towering mountain in front of them, confidence slowly draining. Ash couldn't even see the top from where he was standing; the clouds circled around the peak in an idyllic but fearsome sight. Both Ash and Pikachu knew they should start climbing, but neither was able to look away from the towering giant. So they continued to stare up at the clouds, eyes wide with awe.

"It's really big."

"Pi."

"Why didn't the professor say it was this big?"

"Pichuka."

"I would too have listened!"

"…"

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't have, but still…" Ash trailed off, still fascinated by the mountain. "It's big."

Pikachu finally tore her eyes away from the mountain thanks to the Master's recent display of intelligence. She looked at Ash, saw the dazed look in his eyes and gave him a shock.

"Ow!" Ash yelped, eyes immediately falling to Pikachu. "That one hurt!" Pikachu looked at him with only a tiny hint of guilt before jumping down and leading the way up the mountain. Ash followed at a slower pace, struggling with his heavy pack.

Pikachu eventually slowed to Ash's speed and they proceeded up the mountain at the best pace the trainer could manage. The bag, loaded with all their gear and supplies, was cumbersome, but for the first few hours it was only a slightly steep incline up the mountainside. Occasionally the travelers would slip on the pebbles that covered the ground, but thankfully Ash never fell and he was always there to catch Pikachu. They saw a few spearows fly past as they struggled uphill, but no other pokemon. Finally they reached the point where the mountain began proper, and took a lunch break before continuing.

With a strong determination to reach the top the team began their real climb. Ash scrabbled through loose pebbles and clawed his way over the small cliffs while Pikachu raced ahead to determine the best way up. With her directing him, Ash was able to find the safest and fastest route, but it was by no definition easy. After an hour of very slow progress, Ash was close to collapse. But he struggled on, determination and stubbornness overriding his common sense. Finally Pikachu realized his condition and forced him to stop, and they took a rest on a small ledge with a view down the mountainside.

This proved to be a mistake, as they could plainly see how little distance they had covered in hours of hard work. Disheartened but still determined, they continued on with renewed vigor after a long rest, this time working with many more breaks.

This new strategy allowed them to cover more ground, but they still had only come a short ways when night set. Both exhausted and unused to such hard work, it was all they could do to locate a small overhang for shelter and unpack Ash's sleeping bag. Ash was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, still half-in, half-out of the bag. Pikachu likewise fell asleep as fast as physically possible, curled up comfortably in the crook of Ash's elbow. And so pokemon and trainer slept like the dead while the stars, pinpricks of light in the darkness, watched over them.

The second day was spent in much the same fashion as the first. After a good breakfast and many complaints from Ash about how he had slept funny, they tackled the mountain once more. They followed the same system as the day before; short bursts of climbing with many breaks in between. They covered more ground that day, but that might also have been due to the fact that Ash's bag was a lot lighter, having been relieved of some of the food it had contained. Still, when they stopped for the night they were not even halfway to the top. Despite this, they halted early—which meant before they were completely exhausted and drained—to take advantage of a cave Pikachu had stumbled across.

The cave was small but stable and dry. It was small enough that light could reach most of the shadows, and it had interesting stalagmites as well as stalactites in the back. But most importantly, it was empty. Both pokemon and trainer had done a thorough search of the place, and when neither check had turned up anything living, Ash decided it was a good place to stop for the night. As he prepared their dinner and sleeping place, Pikachu stood outside the cave thinking and staring at the moon.

"Pika pikachu," she commented from outside. Ash glanced over from where he was stirring the soup that they were to have for dinner. His friend was standing on the ledge outside, the moonlight giving her an ethereal glow.

"That's right," he replied to the pokemon's observation. "It's been almost a week, hasn't it? Tomorrow night's the full moon." Pikachu's only response was to give herself a shake, as if to cast off an unwanted realization. This caused her fur to ripple in the moonlight, making it look silky smooth and shiny. "You look really pretty out there, Pikachu," Ash complimented, trying for a lighter subject. "Almost magical."

"Pika!" Pikachu thanked, looking back and smiling at her trainer, eyes twinkling in the moonlight. Ash smiled in return and went back to stirring the soup while Pikachu, unwilling to join her trainer just yet, turned back to the moon.

She stared up at the pockmarked orb on its background of stars and left the mountain behind. All she knew was the night sky, and really she could be anywhere. She could be back at Oak's lab with Ash, awaiting challengers, or at the Cerulean City gym visiting Misty, or at Mt. Silver in Johto training, or…back with the wild Pikachu clan.

Pikachu's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the moon and remembered that night. She didn't regret her decision to remain with Ash, not by a long shot, but sometimes she did miss certain things. She had never been willing to be trained, and even after she accepted Ash it was only because she respected and liked him, not because she wanted to be the property of a trainer. That attitude had mellowed over time; she no longer hated trainers or humans in general, and there was no doubt in her mind that she loved her life with Ash. But still there were some things she missed. The freedom and self-sufficiency that a wild pokemon possessed, the tight-knit community of a wild clan, the company of many others besides one very close friend…and especially the hope of one day, maybe, finding that special partner in life, the partner that Ash could never be: a mate.

Pikachu had never been one who dreamed of a family, of raising tinier versions of herself. She possessed the maternal instinct alright—caring for and rescuing Togepi so many times had proven that—but she had never really been into the whole kid thing. But the partner aspect…that appealed to her. The idea of a lifetime companion, someone who was her match in every way possible, who was exactly her equal and would always be there right by her side…

Pikachu knew when she was captured that she would never have that. She also knew what her decision to stay with Ash instead of the wild clan meant. But she had still made the decision, and would do the same if given the choice again. Ash was her family, her clan, and she was usually content with that.

But now, looking at the moon as it hung almost full in the night sky, she found herself wishing that things could be a little different—that she could have it both ways. And so Pikachu did what felt right, her way of melding her two possible lives into one for the moment. She began to sing.

Ash stopped ladling the cooling soup into their bowls upon hearing the soft notes from outside. His gaze locked onto the figure gently swaying at the mouth of the cave, the moonlight playing softly on her shining fur, and listened.

"Pi, pika pikachu, pi pi. Ka pikachu. Pi, pika pikachu, pi pi. Ka chaaa. Pi, pika pikachu, pi pi. Ka pikachu. Pi, pika pikachu, pi pi. Ka chaaa."

Ash's eyes fell as he recognized the song. It was the same one that Pikachu had sung with the wild pikachu clan years ago, at the very beginning of their journey. The reminder of that night brought back painful memories, and he winced as he realized the only possible reason for her singing: she was lonely, lonely for others of her kind. Ash sighed to himself. They had already been through this, and though it had been a heart-wrenching experience for them both, at the end of it Pikachu had informed him in no uncertain terms that she wanted to stay with him. Ash trusted that this was still true; it was that or become completely lost without his best friend. Still, maybe it was time to pay the wild pikachu a visit.

Satisfied with his conclusion and confident that she would tell him if anything was wrong, Ash watched in peace as Pikachu finished her song. The half-full bowls of soup sat forgotten on the floor beside the pot, cooling rapidly in the night air.

"Pi pi, ka pikachuuu…"

Pikachu breathed out the last notes of her song, eyes still centered on the moon. After a few more moments' reflection and fantasizing, she turned her back on the moon and the life it represented and ran back into the cave. She immediately leapt into her surprised trainer's arms, rubbing her cheek affectionately against his. Ash hugged her in response, laughing, and she cooed back. Finally she simply closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply. This was her Ash, her trainer, her best friend…her family. And, while not perfect, her non-pikachu family was enough for her once again.

Suddenly Pikachu heard a crumbling noise and her eyes shot open. Ash whirled around and Pikachu jumped out of his arms to be able to face whatever it was. The pair watched in awe as a green light began to shine through the wall of the cave, sending down a rain of small rocks in the process. It shimmered in a curtain of green, cutting like a fearsome blade through the solid rock wall. The light grew brighter and brighter until Ash had to shield his eyes, and then as suddenly as it had come it was gone, snuffed out like a candle flame. Ash and Pikachu remained perfectly still, not daring to move, and for the moment it seemed the world was holding its breath. And then the wall collapsed.

The resulting dust cloud forced Ash and Pikachu to retreat outside the cave where they waited with varying degrees of impatience for the air to clear. Eventually clear it did, and they cautiously ventured back inside. Where the wall had once stretched on seamlessly was now a gaping hole as high as the ceiling and about a meter wide. The destructive light seemed to have completely demolished the segment, and there were no chunks of rock left at all, only thousands of tiny pebbles. The newly created doorway was clear.

For a moment the friends could only stare, awed and a bit disturbed by the destructive power they had just witnessed. Then Ash, with his usual brand of reckless bravery, plunged through the new doorway. Pikachu trailed behind him with more caution.

Finding himself in complete darkness, Ash reached out in front and relied on his sense of touch to navigate. To his surprise he encountered a wall almost immediately, and what made it even more surprising was that it was smooth. Curious, he trailed his hands along the surface and found himself in some sort of tunnel. The ceiling was just above his head and a quick check of the ground showed a floor as smooth as the walls. Ash paused in puzzlement and listened to Pikachu doing her own check behind him. That the tunnel was manmade or _something_-made was obvious; but why? And how did the light break down a wall that should never have existed?

With that last thought he hit upon an easy answer to a confusing problem. He came to the conclusion that the wall had been a pokemon-created illusion to hide a secret passageway, and the light had simply destroyed the image. Although this didn't click with a lot of things—the dust, the pebbles, the utter _reality_ of the wall—Ash accepted the answer for now as a way to assuage his curiosity while the truth could not be found.

Satisfied for the moment, Ash continued down the tunnel and only jumped slightly when Pikachu decided that his shoulder was safer than the floor. He kept his hands to the front and one side to avoid any unpleasant surprises as he walked. Presently he felt the tunnel curving, and after a particularly sharp bend he found he could detect a glimmer of light. Encouraged, he sped up and soon rounded the last bend in the tunnel.

At first it seemed like the tunnel ended in a wall of green, but as Ash's eyes grew accustomed to light again he was able to make out some strange shaped beyond the tunnel wall. Cautiously he stepped out of the tunnel, abandoning the safety of darkness for the clarity of light.

"Woah," Ash breathed, staring at the sight before him in amazement. Pikachu stirred on his shoulder as she twisted around to get a better view.

"Pi…" she whispered softly, echoing her trainer's amazement. Her eyes shone eerily in the soft green glow that filled the cavern. The light was coming from the walls themselves, woven into the rock in a river of pulsing green runes. The runes pulsed to different beats, resulting in a scattered effect as the amount of light varied from second to second in every separate area.

The cavern itself stretched up farther than either human or pokemon could see, ending in darkness. All the way up wound a spiral of stairs, clinging to the wall and circling ever upwards, lit by the green runes. The steps were molded from the mountain itself, carved out with the cavern but left jutting out to form the stairs. They looked sturdy enough although there was no guard rail and nothing that looked like it might provide handholds. Even so, it looked climbable, and Ash realized the hopelessness of any attempt to reach the mountain peak in time by struggling up the side. This odd, magical cavern seemed to be their only chance.

"Well Pikachu, what do you think?" Ash questioned, knowing it was as much her decision as his. If she didn't want to try it, that would be it, and they would try their luck outside tomorrow.

"Chupi," she replied, still considering. "Pikachu pika kachu."

"Right. I don't think we'll make it up in time any other way."

"Chu…"

Sensing Pikachu's hesitance, Ash wandered over to one of the cavern walls. Deliberately he placed a hand on the surface of one of the pulsing runes before Pikachu could realize his plan. To his surprise it didn't burn, or freeze, or shock, or any one of the many unpleasant things that could have happened. Instead it only felt slightly cool to the touch.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried in concern when she saw him touch the wall, but paused when her trainer didn't immediately fall down and die. "Pika?"

"See?" Ash said, as if he had known all along that he would be fine. "No danger. Feel it."

With a suspicious glance at Ash Pikachu warily touched a paw to one of the glowing runes. She jumped upon contact in anticipation of something bad happening, but relaxed eventually when nothing did. She poked a few other runes experimentally and found none to be harmful although they were all different temperatures. Finally she withdrew her paw and sat back on Ash's shoulder, gave the room one final glance, and nodded.

"Then it's settled," Ash declare+ed, nodding as well. "Tomorrow we'll give the stairs a try. We might as well spend the night here too. It would be better to find any dangers before we're up there."

"Pi."

With the next day planned, the pair made another trip through the tunnel and back to move all their supplies before settling down to sleep under the gaze of the glowing runes. Pikachu curled up even closer to Ash than usual, and only fell asleep when she was able to block out the eerie light entirely. Ash for his part could not avoid the green glow, but after a time became accustomed to it and eventually began to find it comforting. He hugged his pokemon pal to him and had a restful but anxious sleep, awaiting the trials they would have to face when the sun rose.

(o. o)-/

Pikachu stirred in Ash's arms and poked her head out from its hiding place. Immediately she encountered the green lights and blinked in momentary confusion while her mind struggled to work out where she was. Finally she remembered and narrowed her eyes at the runes suspiciously. She glanced at Ash and found him to be sleeping soundly, apparently none the worse for the night's stay. Pikachu sighed, finding herself to be unharmed as well, and gave the runes a considering glance. Somehow they no longer looked quite as foreboding as they had last night and she was willing to engage in a slightly uneasy truce.

Pikachu's ears twitched, searching for sounds and finding none other than her own breathing and that of her trainer. Her internal clock told her it was only a while past dawn but it seemed that Ash's sense of time was on vacation. He still slept soundly, breathing deeply and showing no signs of consciousness. She suspected that without the sun to rouse him, he would sleep the whole day.

Unwilling to wake him just yet, Pikachu squirmed out of his grasp and jumped down to land lightly on the cavern floor. Ash stirred restlessly at the absence of his friend, but Pikachu cooed softly at him and he quieted. The mouse then turned her attention to the enormous cavern stretching out before them.

She quietly made her way out of the little alcove where she and Ash had decided to sleep and emerged into the cavern proper. The odd runes pulsed at her and she found the effect disconcerting as it created strange shadows that were constantly in motion from the fluctuating light. Ignoring the lighting she continued on toward the center column, one paw after another. Eventually she padded up to the start of the stairs where she paused for a moment, considering. Then she bounced lightly up the first few blocks that served as stairs, happily detecting no movement in the rock beneath her feet.

More cautiously she continued upwards until she had completed a full circuit of the largest area in the cave. Finally she stopped and just took in her surroundings. She had managed to climb at least five meters above the ground, and although there were no handholds or rails to keep her from tumbling down to the stony floor, she felt in no danger of falling. The sturdy rock walls stretched around her and the whole cavern, continuing high above her head. Just thinking about how high it must go was making her feel tiny and insignificant.

She shook her head in a failed attempt to rid herself of the immense weight of the mountain that she now felt crowding in around her. Suddenly she felt alone and vulnerable, a feeling she had not experienced in a very long time. The mystical, enormous cavern was like a physical weight on her chest, crushing the air from her lungs…

With increasing panic Pikachu raced back down the steps, the runes on the walls flying past her in a blur. The ground came up too quickly and she stumbled on the last step, but recovered quickly and was running again. She dashed into the alcove where she had left her trainer and leapt on Ash without a care for his healthy sleep. He jerked awake immediately and shot up out of his sleeping bag, clutching Pikachu instinctively. As his sleep-addled brain struggled to figure where he was and what was happening, Pikachu snuggled into his chest and breathed deeply. The weight disappeared and she felt safe again, protected and definitely not alone.

"What is it?" Ash finally managed, remembering where he was and why. "Pikachu, what happened?" His eyes searched the moving shadows for anything suspicious, but the light was calming and he couldn't detect any danger.

"Pi-pika Pikapi," she apologized, her words muffled by his shirt. "Pikachu pika pika kachu."

"What scared you?" Ash prompted, still searching the shadows, not yet satisfied by Pikachu's explanation.

"Pikacha kapi pikachu."

"But you're alright?" Pikachu nodded and Ash peered outside into the vast cavern. "I guess it is kind of intimidating."

"Chu."

"Well, I'm here now so everything will be alright," Ash assured her confidently with a touch of his old arrogance. "I promise I won't let the mountain fall on you."

"Pika," Pikachu protested, giving him a playful cheek-to-cheek spark. Ash grinned and responded by giving her tail a gentle tug and then setting her on the cavern floor before she could spark again. Her tail twitched and she gave him a half-hearted glare. He merely laughed and began to pack away the sleeping bag in preparation for breakfast.

While Ash was occupied with breakfast, Pikachu ventured back out into the main area of the cavern. The green light intensified as she stepped out of the shelter but she kept moving. Finally she stopped at the edge of the upward spiraling column, and stared up and the towering piles of rock and earth. She could hear the sounds of clattering pots and rustling bags as Ash wrestled with breakfast, and they provided a comforting backdrop to her thoughts. She felt the threatening crush of earth again but drew strength from the common Ash sounds behind her and felt the weight disappear.

Confidence growing again, she stepped out farther into the open cavern, determined to overcome this new fear. The lights on the walls pulsed rhythmically, somehow organized despite their chaotic patterns. The crude steps spiraled ever upwards and Pikachu continued to stare, head tilted and nose pointed to the roof. Finally she could feel herself become accustomed to the sight and lowered her head. She took a deep breath in relief, no longer feeling like she was in danger of being crushed under tons of rock.

"Ow!" Pikachu turned her head curiously as she heard Ash's shout from behind her. He was hopping around the little alcove on one foot, holding the other in his hands. Pikachu shook her head in amazement. _How did he manage that?_

"Pikapi?" she asked, trotting back to her trainer. Ash produced a small, pained smile.

"I'm fine," he ground out, wincing when he firmly placed his foot back down on the ground. "I just didn't think the floor was that close."

"Pika," Pikachu sighed, and went to check on breakfast. Her own bowl was ready, complete with a slice of cheese from Ash's own meal. Happily she crouched by the bowl and watched Ash, nibbling on the cheese squirrel-style.

The pokemon trainer stumbled over to the block of rock that served as a makeshift table and plopped down beside Pikachu. He grabbed his own breakfast—a simple cheese sandwich—from where he had left it on the rock block and polished it off in a few bites. Pikachu finished her cheese and the small amount of pokefood in the bowl at a more sedate pace while Ash busied himself with packing up the rest of the supplies. Finally Pikachu finished and they were ready to go.

They left the little alcove, Pikachu dashing on ahead of Ash when he stopped to test the stairs. After he had climbed a few and they hadn't immediately crumbled into dust and left him lying in a heap on the ground, he followed Pikachu and the pair began to climb.

Pikachu continued ahead on foot, not wanting to upset Ash's balance, and the amount of concentration needed for the path discouraged any talk. The steps were staggered and randomly shaped; no two were the same size or texture. This made it a tricky task to navigate the stone steps perfectly while knowing that one mistake would end in probable death.

So no words were uttered until, after about half an hour of climbing, Ash suddenly stopped. Pikachu stopped as well, noticing the lack of echoing footsteps.

"Pikachu," Ash began, looking around apprehensively, "Where are all the pokemon?"

"Chu…" Pikachu whispered back, eyes beginning to dart around as well. Ash's comment made her notice once again the immense silence of the place, a silence so thick you could almost feel it. The runes on the walls continued to pulse and glow, the only life-like things beside themselves in the entire cavern. It was unnatural, to say the least. Suddenly the silence, the greenness, became too much and Pikachu had to do something, anything, to break it—

"CHUUU!" she yelled as she loosed a bolt of electricity, sending it across the room to smash into the glowing green runes. Ash and Pikachu watched as the bolt was reflected perfectly by the runes, doing no damage to the wall at all. The jagged yellow slash continued to ricochet down the column, rebounding from one side of the cavern to the other until it was finally grounded and neutralized upon reaching the floor.

"I guess that's why there are no pokemon here," Ash commented finally, breaking the stunned silence that had followed Pikachu's little outburst.

"Pi…" Pikachu muttered in agreement, and with a last glance at where her bolt had disappeared, turned back to the steps in front of her. She began her hopping progress once more and Ash followed behind her, step by uneven step.

(o. o)

Ash toiled up the seemingly endless stairs, eyes glued to the ground. About an hour ago he had ceased to look down from the stairs—they were now too high up for him to think about. And he wasn't even afraid of heights.

It seemed to the Pokemon Master that they had been climbing forever, though in reality it had probably only been a few hours. His whole world now consisted of the rock chunks that served as stairs, the glowing green runes that still plastered the walls, and the sounds of Pikachu scrabbling up ahead of him. There was no natural light in the cavern and so no way to tell whether it was night or day. With this pressure heavy on both their minds, they hadn't stopped to rest since beginning, and although Ash was beginning to feel hungry and tired, he didn't dare stop. As long as they could continue they would; they had to make the summit tonight. And the possibility that the stairs would just end without going anywhere was too horrible to even consider.

Ash slowed a bit and gripped the wall as the blocks he was climbing became thinner. He paused and raised his eyes so he could see Pikachu picking her way carefully along the now-thin ledge. He squinted into the green tinted darkness, and thought he could see the steps growing thicker again up ahead. Relieved, he focused on his path again and continued along the spiraling steps.

"Pika!" Ash's head jerked up at the cry and was in motion even before he realized what the problem was. Pikachu was wobbling on her two back feet as the remains of the ledge tumbled down to the cavern floor. She was now on a much thinner chunk of rock, the edge of the step having given out when she tried to put weight on it. Ash shot forward, uncaring for his own safety, and quickly reached his friend. He reached over from the previous block and snatched up the yellow pokemon, hugging her to him and leaning against the glowing wall in relief.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu whispered, still shaken from her near-death experience. Ash slid down the wall so that he was sitting, his feet hanging off the step. He rested his chin on her head and sighed.

"That was close," he observed, closing his eyes and allowing finally acknowledging what had almost happened. He shuddered and hugged Pikachu closer.

The two remained that way for a few minutes at least before Ash finally relaxed his iron grip on his best friend. Still holding her tightly he got to his feet and began to pick his way along the thin ledge, carefully avoiding the edge and sticking close to the wall.

"Pikachu," Pikachu protested softly. Ash merely shook his head and continued along the thin strip of rock. Eventually he made it to the thicker section without mishap and, after testing the whole section carefully, sat down.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned as she found herself placed on the rock in front of her trainer. Ash smiled grimly as he swung his green pack of his back.

"I think it's time for a lunch break, don't you?" Ash stated, rummaging around in the bag for food. Pikachu nodded gratefully, knowing it had been her tiredness and hunger that had made her slip up. The two friends settled down to lunch with a new order of priorities, now valuing rest over speed and life over success.

(o. o)-/

A black abyss loomed before the two travelers, representing both doom and salvation. The inky blackness was a relief after the constant barrage of the eerie green light, but the inability of the runes to penetrate the dark depths was threatening at the same time. The runes glowed to either side of the unnatural gateway, familiar and somehow comforting, but refused to shed any light within. The cavern was just as silent as always, but the smaller traveler's keen senses were able to pick up the faint trace of a breeze flowing from the darkness.

Ash and Pikachu hovered in front of the tunnel, hesitant to enter although they knew they had no choice. They both felt the pressure of a whole day spent on the winding stairs, even with frequent breaks, and were eager to see the sky again. But now, accustomed as they were to the strange green lighting, they found themselves hesitant to enter into the new unknown.

Finally Ash recovered his courage and shifted the straps of his pack in a show of readiness. Pikachu leapt up to his shoulder for safety and he walked purposefully toward the shadowed tunnel mouth. Within moments both boy and pokemon were swallowed by the dark.

As with the tunnel at the bottom of the cavern, the inside of this tunnel was oddly smooth but totally dark. The minute Ash entered he had the uncomfortable sense that he had gone blind and was forced to use his sense of touch to navigate. After a number of twists and turns the tunnel began to slope upward. The floor became rougher, allowing for a firmer grip when climbing the now-steep slope. Suddenly it leveled off again, so suddenly that Ash stumbled a bit and made a grab for the smooth and unhelpful wall. Amazingly he regained his balance without help and found he could see again. There was light at the end of the tunnel.

Ash walked faster and burst out of the rock shelter and into the fresh mountain air. He was greeted immediately by a fierce gust of that fresh air that momentarily robbed him of breath and again sent him fumbling for a handhold, this time on the rocky mountainside. He felt Pikachu's claws grip his shirt tighter as the pokemon also felt the rage of the wind.

Eventually they regained the ability to breathe and became accustomed to the fierce gusting. As one they turned and surveyed their current position.

They stood on a small ledge that hung off the side of the mountain. Light from the dying sun shone down on them as dusk fell, blessed and precious after the darkness and unnatural green illumination. Disturbed by Ash's actions, pebbles tumbled off the edge to disappear into the swirling whiteness that hung below their ledge. With a gasp of surprise the friends recognized them as clouds; clouds that they had seen earlier from a completely different vantage point. Sadly the clouds obscured any view that the mountain's peak might have provided, but it also spared them any possible fear that the reality of their height could have induced.

Behind them stood a small cliff; and even as Ash's heart sank at the thought of more climbing he spotted a small set of stairs similar to those within the cavern. The stone blocks wound upward along the cliff face, presenting an easy and quick route to the summit. Confident of success, Ash dashed toward the steps without any hesitance, easily seeing his path in the fading sunlight.

The pokemon trainer quickly topped the small cliff and was left standing on the edge of a large plateau. The top of the mountain leveled off onto a flat rock field dotted with many small boulders. Ash slowly picked his way among the rocks until he was standing in the middle of the plateau, able to see all. He sighed and looked up at the sky, where the sun could still be seen.

"Looks like we're gonna have to wait, pal," he commented to his partner. "The sun hasn't even set yet."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed morosely.

"At least we don't have to do anymore climbing," Ash added as he settled down on the rocky ground to wait.

"Pika!"

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and onto his lap, tilting her head up to look at the cloudless sky. Ash watched the setting sun for a moment, surveying the pastel rays it threw across the sky. However he quickly got bored with this pastime and began to search for something else to do. He kicked at one of the closest boulders absently and watched as it rolled away, crashing into another with surprising strength.

Ash frowned; he hadn't kicked it _that_ hard. But as he watched he began to detect slight stirrings from the boulders that had collided. At first he thought he was imagining things, but after a while it became clear that the rocks were actually moving of their own accord. They began to make rumbling noises, and then the boulders around them began to shake too.

By this point Pikachu had realized something was amiss and was now staring at the rocks in confusion as well. Pokemon and trainer sat in the middle of a field of moving boulders, too shocked and confused for the moment to move.

Eventually the rocks stopped their rumblings, but then something even stranger happened. Every boulder seemed to grow rocky muscled arms, and the larger boulders even sprouted legs.

"Pikapi," Pikachu whispered. "Pikachu pika…"

"I know," Ash replied with the same volume. "They're pokemon…and there are hundreds of them…"

The pair could only watch in horror as the boulders became fully awake and one by one turned to stare at them. There was no mistaking the hostility in those eyes. Ash gulped. This couldn't all be his fault, right?

"Graveler," ground out one of the largest boulders. It was glaring at them from within its rocky hide, its four arms held out at its side threateningly. It was crouched a few feet away from Ash, and the pokemon trainer watched it warily.

"Geodude!" the smaller rocks chorused in response. As one they flexed their arms in a united show of strength. Ash staggered to his feet, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder. He slowly turned around in a circle, and quickly realized that they were surrounded.

"Pikachu, you need to get out of here," Ash whispered to his best friend, eyes still locked on the rock pokemon. "If you go now, you'll make it. You'll be safe."

"Pika pi-pikachu!" Pikachu protested angrily. Did Pikapi really think she would abandon him?

"Pikachu, it's your only chance," Ash argued. "You can't do anything against so many ground pokemon. Electric attacks won't work, remember? So you have to go, now while there's still time. I'll distract them for you, but you have to go _now._"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted angrily. "Pikachu pi-pika!"

"Maybe they won't attack me alone," Ash offered finally. "You have to run, Pikachu. I won't let them hurt you."

"Pikapi, pikachu pi-pika," Pikachu stated firmly in a tone that said the discussion was over. She jumped down to stand at Ash's side, ready to go down fighting.

"Pikachu…" Ash sighed in defeat. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with extra cheerfulness. "Pikachu pika pi chu?"

"Yeah," Ash confirmed, twisting his hat around and adopting a determined expression. "We'll give them a fight they'll never forget."

Suddenly one of the closer geodudes leapt at Pikachu, using its arms as leverage for the jump. Without needing any command, Pikachu responded by hitting it back with her glowing tail. The small rock pokemon fell back into the circle of boulders, crashing to the ground and producing a small dust cloud. The other pokemon watched Pikachu with a grudging respect.

Seeing that the rocks weren't going to attack again immediately, Pikachu took the opportunity to close her eyes and center herself. She knew they would need a miracle to get out of this one, and she was going to do her best to provide one. Stretching her awareness to the sky around the mountain, she began to call a storm.

Ash noticed the dark, wispy clouds beginning to gather above their plateau, and realized immediately what his friend was trying to do. He wasn't sure if it would work against so many enemies, but it was their only chance. As Pikachu continued to work with her element, Ash did his best to look fearsome and keep the wild pokemon away.

Eventually another reckless Geodude found enough courage to risk the electric mouse and attack again. It moved more slowly than its predecessor, more hesitantly, and so Ash was able to intercept it before it hit its target. He caught it in his arms, and while it was still in shock from being stopped and held by a mere human, he used all his strength to toss it back into the circle. Like the one before it, it crashed to the ground, this time hitting a few others as well. The hostile glares intensified, but Ash mustered his courage and glared right back, determined to protect his friend. And the sky continued to darken.

"Grav," muttered the larger rock that had spoken first. In response to its muttered command all the pokemon at the edge of the plateau began to crowd in towards the center. The living boulders slowly formed a solid wall around the pokemon and trainer, cutting off any lingering possibility of escape. Ash noticed but only became more determined to protect Pikachu. No matter what happened, he would make sure she got of this alive.

Suddenly the whole plateau was cast into shadow and a rumble of thunder shivered through the air. The geodudes and gravelers went still, probably wondering at the materialization of a thunderstorm from a cloudless sky within minutes. Ash smiled with pride at his prime pokemon, who was crouching in the same position and frowning in concentration. Her front paws were curled tightly to her chest and her tail was held straight up in the air. Her black-tipped ears were also pointing up towards the storm, twitching occasionally as if she could hear the gathering electricity. And now that Ash thought about it, she probably could.

A boom of thunder cracked above the mountain again, although Ash hadn't seen the original lightning strike. But judging from how the pokemon at the edge of the circle were shifting around nervously, it had been pretty close. Perhaps now they were realizing that this particular pair of travelers was more trouble than they were worth.

At that Pikachu seemed to decide that the storm was good enough, and came out of her trance. Her eyes rose to the rolling black clouds above her head, not giving the enemy pokemon any notice whatsoever. She tensed and Ash knew exactly what was coming next.

"PiikaaaaaCHHUUUUU!" Pikachu cried as she shot a powerful thunder attack up into the heavens. The thick clouds absorbed the shock and for a few moments nothing happened. Then, with everyone—including the rock pokemon—watching in anticipation, there were a few disgruntled rumblings from the overhanging shadows. Only moments later the response lightning bolt shot down out of the sky directly at Pikachu, sparkling blue and singing the air as it passed. The tiny electric mouse took the blow and tried to control the lightning strike, battling with her element just like she had on that fateful day when Ash's dream had hung by a thread. And, like that day not so long ago, she won.

"_**CHUUUUUU!**_" she screamed in triumph but, instead of directing the controlled lightning bolt at the enemy pokemon, she shot it straight up and back into the growling storm. She panted at the effort, and a few stray sparks of blue electricity crackled around her body. Ash gaped at his friend, his eyes flickering between her and the storm in surprise and worry.

"Pikachu," he began slowly, "I don't know if that was such a good idea…"

As if in response to Ash's uncertainty, the clouds began to roll even more and booms of thunder with no preceding lightning shook the plateau. Ash gulped and stared up at the storm as the booms of thunder continued. At least the geodudes and gravelers were likewise frozen and wouldn't be attacking any time soon.

"Pikachu pika," Pikachu whispered and moved closer to Ash. "Pika kachu…"

"You _think _it will be alright?" Ash whispered back, somehow hearing Pikachu even over the terrifying booms. Despite his words there was no anger in his voice, only nervousness. "Do you have any idea what you did?"

"Chuka pi…"

"Okay…we'll just have to stick together, that's all. It can't be that bad."

"Pika…" Pikachu muttered in reply, her eyes scanning the rock pokemon who were slowly creeping back to the edge of plateau. Wild pokemon usually had a sense of when things were about to go terribly wrong, and if one were to judge by the actions of these then something was seriously bad.

"Pi!" Pikachu cried suddenly as a particularly loud crack of thunder interrupted her thoughts and sent her running up to Ash's shoulder. Something about this storm was unnatural, and even though she had created it, Pikachu was frightened. Her trainer spared her a glance and rested a hand on her back comfortingly. But whether the gesture was to comfort himself or Pikachu was uncertain.

There was a last rumble of thunder from the storm that seemed to ripple through the whole ceiling of dark clouds. Then a few sparks of blue electricity escaped from their confines to dance along the underside of the storm. There was utter silence as the whole plateau waited for something, anything to happen and watched the frightening light show. And finally the lightning struck.

The first bolt appeared at the closer end of the plateau where the tunnel had been. It struck the ground with a startling flash and scorched anything nearby, including all the fringe pokemon. A smash was heard just before the next strike, signifying that a pokemon had fallen and was now tumbling down the rocky slope. Ash spared it a tiny moment of sympathy, but the lightning show was now in full session.

The lightning struck randomly around the plateau, and wild pokemon fainted every time it did. Pikachu realized the inevitable and jumped down to the rocky ground in front of Ash. She stared up at the sky, tensing, and waited.

Within a few seconds she got what she had expected. A blue bolt tore down from the sky, only slightly smaller than the one she had successfully deflected mere minutes ago. As she watched the light's progress her mind made a lightning quick decision and she responded at a speed that only an electric pokemon could attain.

"CHUUUUUU!" she yelled, the electricity bursting out of her even before she began her battle cry. Her bolt of yellow sizzling electricity met the lightning halfway down, only inches above Ash's head. Pikachu continued to pour energy into the block and the storm's shock was broken. To Pikachu's great surprise and confusion, her electricity carved a path upward into the blue energy which pooled down around her and Ash to create a dome-like structure. Confused but satisfied, Pikachu cut back on the power, intending to stop the flow altogether. But as soon as she did, the sparkling blue shield flickering threateningly and began to form a lightning bolt once again. Hurriedly she poured more power in, and the shield strengthened.

Ash watched in amazement through the blue wall as the lightning continued to destroy the plateau and everything on it. The storm seemed to be systematically clearing the mountaintop of everything, including the dust on the rocky ground. And Pikachu's shield was something else entirely. Ash flinched as a lightning bolt flashed toward his head, but the elemental shield had deflected the strike even before his knee-jerk reaction was complete. He glanced at his best friend in concern, knowing how draining maintaining the thing must be. Pikachu was crouched on the ground, eyes squeezed shut, and electricity was coming from her in a continuous stream. She appeared to be in a coma-like state although the flow of electricity never wavered. Ash's heart ached for her and he almost reached out to her but thought better of it at the last second, realizing that her intense concentration was the only reason they both weren't already dead.

The lightning continued to rip the plateau to shreds, and the mountaintop was soon barren of all life other than Ash and Pikachu. The blue shield held, but Pikachu began to shake from the strain. Ash could only watch as the storm raged and his best friend got weaker by the second.

Finally the lightning seemed to lose its fury and the amount of strikes decreased until there were no more at all. The dark clouds gave a last disgruntled rumble and began to dissipate, allowing the moon to peek through. But the blue shield stayed up.

"Pikachu," Ash murmured, kneeling to look her in the eye. "It's over. You can stop now."

"Pika?" Pikachu whispered, and her eyes cracked open. Immediately the stream of electricity stopped and the blue shield flickered and died. Pikachu looked around the plateau, dazed, and finally her gaze settled on Ash. She blinked up at him. "Pikapi…" She took a step towards him and promptly collapsed.

* * *

**So it's a bit of a cliffie...I apologize. But it's only a little one! As always, comments and criticism are appreciated; I have joined the ranks of the review addicts. ;)**


	6. Answers

**So I redid this chapter three times, but I think it's finally ready. This is the one that finally explains what this story is actually about. Aren't you excited? XD A big thanks to everyone who reviewed, as always. You guys keep me going, even when I have to redo a chapter three times. ;D**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 6: Answers_

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"Pikachu!" Ash cried, diving forward and lifting her limp body off the ground. "Pikachu, are you alright? Pikachu?" Fear built in Ash's eyes as his best friend remained eerily still. "C'mon buddy, wake up. Open your eyes or twitch or shock me or something…" Pikachu remained motionless and a single tear rolled down Ash's cheek to wet Pikachu's still-warm fur. She wasn't breathing. "Buddy, wake up. I don't know what will happen to me if you don't. I need you. Please, Pikachu." Ash hugged his best friend's lifeless body to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut to block out the image of Pikachu's vacant face, her closed eyes, and the terrifying stillness of her body. Another tear trickled down his face. "Wake up."

Finally Ash felt the bundle in his arms stir, and his eyes flew open, overcome with relief. But the shouts of happiness died on his lips as Ash watched Pikachu's body float slowly upwards, out of his arms. Her body was surrounded by a pulsing green glow, much like that on the runes of the cavern wall. It lit the area formerly touched only by moonlight, giving Ash's arms and Pikachu's fur a sickly green tinge. The pokemon's body continued to rise into the air, and only when it was hovering at Ash's eye level did he snap out of shock.

"Pikachu!" he cried, making a desperate grab for the yellow mouse. He gasped in surprise as his hands slid right by her, as if deflected by an invisible force. He tried again but only encountered the same results, and soon his best friend's body was higher than he could reach. Ash could only stand and watch; hoping desperately that when this was all over, things would be back to normal and Pikachu would be okay. _I'd give anything to be bored again. Anything. Just…not this. _Reverting to the mentality of a little kid, all he wanted was for everything to be better again.

"Pikachu…" he whispered, another tear falling from his eye to splatter on the only scorch-free patch on the whole plateau. "Please…anything but this."

Ash caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and a flash of green, but was unable to tear his gaze away from his friend's body. So he was surprised when he heard a voice coming from only a few meters away.

"Ash," the voice said softly, and Ash immediately locked on to the speaker, too startled to keep watching Pikachu. His eyes widened as he recognized the figure, a woman with strange green hair and robes that seemed to be made of mist. He was drawn back to an event that seemed a lifetime ago, a remembrance that was oddly fuzzy and vague…like a memory from a dream. He shook his head to get rid of the cobwebby thoughts, remembering Pikachu's situation as he did so.

"You!" he accused, immediately aggressive against this suspicious stranger. "Are you doing this to Pikachu? Let her down now! Can't you see she's hurt?"

"Ash, calm down," the figure soothed, moving closer. Ash cut her off.

"No!" he shouted, his hands balling into fists and his eyes glinting with determination. "I won't calm down until Pikachu's safe. Let her go!"

"Ash." The single word was nothing special, but something in the woman's deep green eyes made Ash pause. "Listen to me. Pikachu has lost a lot of energy, and she is not able to recover on her own. I am aiding the process and giving her the energy she needs. Without my help, she would likely die."

"No…" Ash whispered, staring up at Pikachu again. He was momentarily shaken by the first mention that death was a possibility, a term his conscious mind had been avoiding for quite a while. He took a deep breath and turned back to the woman, fixing her with a piercing, evaluating look, trying to detect any hint of deception. He didn't see anything untrustworthy, but then again Ash was not particularly good at recognizing dishonesty in other people, being such an honest person himself. Finally he nodded, going with his instincts and remaining innocence and trusting this mysterious stranger.

The woman merely nodded back, as if she had never suspected that Ash would reach any other decision. This assumption angered him a bit, but it was a helpless sort of anger that Ash mercilessly quashed from years of practice.

"Who are you, then?" Ash questioned, needing at least a name for the person he was entrusting Pikachu's life to. The woman smiled slightly, as if she knew a secret; her robes billowed around her in a mystic dance.

"I am everything and nothing, one thing and many. I exist in the past, present, and future, and belong in none. I am the mistress of Time itself; and that is all the answer I may give you."

Ash gasped at her words, the pieces of the puzzle coming together and his memory suddenly becoming clearer. "You're that woman," he announced, "the one that told us to come here. That this plateau was where we should come if we wanted to begin the next stage of our journey." Ash paused, mulling something over in his mind. "But it only ended in Pikachu getting hurt and almost dying. Why'd you tell us to come here?" Ash ended angrily, his gaze centered on Pikachu once more and her still lifeless face.

"It was a test," the Mistress of Time admitted hesitantly, as if preparing for another outburst. "It is a requirement that I test both your bond and your power, and I felt this was the best way to do it."

"The best way!" Ash flared. If the woman had been expecting an explosion, she wasn't to be disappointed. "You thought that the best way would be to almost kill my best friend? And all because of some silly test? What right do you have to test us, anyway?"

"This is not going at all like I planned," the woman muttered, putting a hand to her forehead. Ash was momentarily stunned by this show of human weakness by the mysterious figure, but quickly got over it, all his anger returning with a single glance at Pikachu's prone form.

"Ash, I will explain everything, I promise," the woman tried, lowering her hand and becoming the mystical stranger once again. "Just wait until I am finished _healing_ Pikachu," she suggested. "I have a feeling we will be able to understand each other much better when she is safe."

Ash was silent for a moment, his gaze hovering on Pikachu and flicking only occasionally towards the Mistress of Time. "Fine," he finally ground out, his eyes flinty. Without another glance in the woman's direction, Ash moved to stand directly under Pikachu and waited, ready to catch her at a moment's notice.

"…Did we pass?" Ash muttered finally, his curiosity getting the best of him at last. He threw a quick, darting glance at the woman and found her smiling slightly and looking relieved.

"You passed."

Neither of them spoke again, and Ash allowed himself to become hypnotized by the pulsing light surrounding his prime pokemon. He stopped thinking, preferring to wait and not allow himself to ponder the 'what ifs'. Action was his choice when faced with any kind of problem, and being forced into idleness was torture.

Eventually Ash noticed the green light begin to dim. Pikachu's body shuddered and Ash threw an accusing glare at the green-haired woman, who held her hands up innocently. Suddenly the green aura around Pikachu disappeared with a blinding flash, and her body dropped into Ash's open arms.

"Pikachu!" he cried, kneeling on the ground and cradling his prime pokemon once more. "Pikachu, c'mon buddy, wake up." Ash held his breath as he waited for her to wake up, to be miraculously healed and restored. But nothing happened.

"What did—" Ash began accusingly, but the woman silenced him with a wave and a gesture towards the bundle in his arms. Ash gasped as Pikachu's eyes fluttered open, weak but alive.

"Pikapi…?" Pikachu whispered weakly, blinking dazedly up at her trainer. She frowned in confusion, catching sight of the tears glistening in the corners of Ash's eyes.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, hugging his best friend close and not planning on letting go any time in the near future. His tears flew out of his eyes to sparkle like diamonds in midair as he buried his face in her warm fur. They were both still for a few moments, Ash just happy feeling the reassuring rise and fall of Pikachu's chest, and Pikachu willing to give her trainer whatever comfort she could, even if she had no idea what the problem was.

At last Pikachu pulled back, curiosity winning out.

"Pikachu?" she questioned, blinking up at Ash in confusion. Ash just shook his head.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly. Pikachu frowned.

"Pikachu pi," she replied hesitantly. Ash nodded; it was expected that she would feel a little weak. "Pikapi… Chu pikachu?"

"You used up too much of your energy, Pikachu," Ash explained gently. "It almost…" Ash paused, choking on the word. "You almost…died."

"Pika…" Pikachu murmured, her eyes downcast as she pondered this new information. They were both silent, lost in their own thoughts, until the third presence on the plateau made herself know again.

"The energy loss was merely the result of bad timing and inexperience," the woman announced, turning all eyes to her. "It will not happen again, provided she attempts it at full power, and with practice it will become easier."

"Chu?" Pikachu questioned, wanting to know who this random person was. Ash turned to her.

"Pikachu, don't you remember the Mistress of Time?" Ash prompted, and watched as his friend's eyes lit up with understanding. "She's the one that healed you and saved your life. We can trust her—I think."

"Chu," Pikachu nodded, showing her understanding. She turned to her savior. "Chu kachu pikachu?"

"I merely provided the energy you needed to recover," the woman explained. "You did all the hard work. By the way," she continued, shifting her focus to Ash, "you may like to know that she has learned a new attack. It is called Thor's Hammer, and it is the ultimate electrical strike, penetrating even the earth's own defenses. This is the first time it has been seen on this world."

"Then how do you know about it?" Ash threw back immediately.

"I have known of it and those who would create it since I began," the woman replied serenely. "There can be no secrets kept from me."

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked thoughtfully after a lengthy pause. A delighted smile passed across the woman's face.

"Why, you are an intelligent one, aren't you?" she gushed. "To answer your question, it is more complicated than that. Fate is not a yes or no question; but it is true that some events are more certain than others. There is little surety in the future, and the futures of most are a tangled mess at best."

"Pika pichuka pikachu?"

"Yes, exactly like the fact that I didn't know what you were going to ask me. Small details like that are almost impossible to predict. Even if you could pin one down, the probabilities would shift and the most likely result would be different only seconds later." The Mistress of Time paused again and gave Pikachu another dazzling smile. "Very impressive, Pikachu. I'm glad to see your trainer's intelligence didn't rub off on you."

"Hey!" Ash protested, liking this woman less and less. "I was smart enough to become the Master, wasn't I?" The woman merely laughed, a sound like wind chimes. While Ash still found the sound oddly soothing, it calmed his mood only slighty. He was still annoyed and wary of the person who had almost killed his best buddy, and the insults were not helping.

"Pikachu, pikachupi pikacha."

"Of course you're right, Pikachu," the woman replied. "I called you here for a reason, and as you have passed the test I believe it is time to proceed. Ash, if you would come over here please?"

"Why?" Ash threw back immediately, his wariness increasing tenfold. The woman sighed.

"Ash, please just do as I ask. It's easier this way. I promise upon the very essence of the earth that you will not be harmed."

Ash paused, considering. He didn't entirely trust the mysterious woman, and in fact he had many reasons to believe the worst of her and leave the mountain immediately. On the other hand, he and especially Pikachu had sacrificed a lot to be here and apparently to receive just this offer. To cower away from it now would be to make those sacrifices meaningless. Ash took a deep breath and steeled himself against his doubts. They had scaled the mountain and braved the test; he would not flee now from his prize, however dubious it might seem.

Ash walked slowly towards the woman, picking his way carefully over the charred plateau. Surprisingly not a peep was heard from Pikachu, and Ash turned to make sure she was still alive and breathing, as per the Mistress's promise. She was, and she was also locked in some sort of staring contest with said Mistress.

"Pi pikachu chu?" she asked finally, flatly. The Mistress answered with equal solemnity.

"You may trust me. I have no reason to harm you. Indeed, I am much inclined to do the opposite." Curious, Pikachu tilted her head in a silent question, but the Mistress shook her head. "Everything will be explained in due course. Have patience." Slightly disgruntled, Pikachu nevertheless settled back in assent. The Mistress turned the full weight of her attention on Ash, who blinked.

"There are some things you both need to be aware of before we begin," she explained. "This experience will be strange and probably shocking to you both, but I ask simply that you let it run its course. Ash, I am about to trigger a change in your body, and it will feel quite strange. However, I assure you that it will not be painful, nor will it be permanent." She switched targets at this point, and the small yellow pokemon became the focus of that heavy gaze. "Pikachu, you must _not_ interfere. You will see Ash go through some changes here, but I swear that he will not be harmed or even truly changed. This is to be your reward for passing my test. However, if you interfere with the process in any way, I cannot be sure that Ash will come out unharmed."

"Pi pika," Pikachu promised, holding a paw over her heart. Ash had to grin slightly at the gesture, although he was slightly put off by his friend's easy acceptance. Was he the only one who was the least suspicious of this stranger?

"Ash, are you ready to begin?" the Mistress probed, drawing his attention back. Taking a deep breath, Ash nodded, not trusting himself to say more. He was making himself totally helpless for the next few moments, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Very well then, we will start off slowly," she stated, apparently having caught on to Ash's twitchiness. Her voice, when next she spoke, had a soothing quality that made Ash feel sleepy despite his situation. "I want you to close your eyes and try to relax. Think of times when you were happy, at peace…times when everything seemed easy and simple, and the world was a friendly, hopeful place…when everything was just right, and natural." Ash could feel himself slowly slipping under the woman's spell or whatever it was, and although his first impulse was to fight it, he let it happen. He began to feel increasingly weightless and adrift, and gradually became aware of a growing brightness against his eyelids. As the brightness increased, so did a disturbing feeling of compression, something close to what Ash imagined claustrophobia to feel like. As it grew stronger Ash could no longer convince himself to remain passive, and he began to fight it, pushing out against whatever was squishing him. The lights began to flicker, but Ash's sense of calm was rapidly fading, and he continued to push.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was watching with growing horror at the spectacle before her. When Ash had first been engulfed by a familiar green light, everything seemed fine. Eventually he began to glow, almost like he was about to evolve. Pikachu had tensed, but mindful of the Mistress's warnings, remained where she was. He glowed brighter and brighter, and the without warning something like a small tornado seemed to erupt from his body. Pikachu had twitched, but remained stationary while the furious twister engulfed her best friend. The funnel of wind was strangely opaque, making Pikachu strain for a glimpse of Ash. The light was still noticeable, glowing brightly from within the twister. Pikachu just waited, not even daring to breathe.

Then, unexpectedly, the lights from within began to flicker. Pikachu frowned, knowing instinctively something was wrong, and turned to the Mistress. Her eyes were tightly shut, and a frown was also visible on her face. Pikachu jerked again, her eyes darting frantically back to the mini-whirlwind that was Ash. She wanted to dash over there, do something, _anything_, but the Mistress had said not to interfere, no matter what. She had promised…

A tear appeared in the funnel, revealing a glimpse of bright, blinding light. Pikachu had to close her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again the tear was gone. The light inside continued to flicker, but was now growing brighter nonetheless. Pikachu knew that if another tear appeared now and her eyes were subjected to the light within, she would indeed be blinded.

Finally she detected a muffled flash from within the twister that put her in mind of an exploding star, and then the strange winds seemed to lose their fury as quickly as they had gained it. They disappeared in disgruntled wisps, revealing what they had hidden for all to see.

A tiny figure, still glowing, stumbled away from the scene. Apparently badly uncoordinated, it tripped over its own limbs and toppled to the ground. Pikachu winced automatically in sympathy before the reality finally dawned on her. As the glow around the figure began to fade, she could only stare in disbelief at the tiny pokemon that was now curled into a little ball in the middle of the plateau.

Ash, for his part, could not have been more disoriented. There was something wrong with his legs, although he couldn't quite figure out what. Not only that, but he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing, and hearing, and smelling. After his first failed attempt at moving, which had resulted in bruises in body parts he hadn't known he had, he had curled up in desperation on the hard, crispy ground. Curling into a small ball, while normally not an acceptable solution never mind being physically impossible to the extent at which he was now curled, had seemed a natural defense, and he had gone with whatever strange instincts were guiding him. Right now, he would take all the guidance he could get.

He had to take one thing at a time. Currently the most distracting was what he smelled, so he would deal with that first. Poking his nose slightly out of the ball, he gave the air a sniff. An array of impossibly intricate smells assaulted his poor nose, so many that it was impossibly to identify individuals. Even if he could, Ash had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't recognize any of them. Freeing up an ear from the curl, he tried out his hearing. The wind still blew across the plateau, and his ear twitched obediently as it picked up the minute sounds of gravel shifting against the wind's onslaught.

_Wait…_ Ash paused. _Since when have my ears _twitched?

Startled, his head shot out from his ball, eyes wide open. The rest of his body uncurled compliantly, and he was left sitting awkwardly on his haunches, his arms splayed out ahead of him. _No, not hands,_ his slightly comatose mind informed him, _paws. _

In disbelief he stared down at the two small yellow paws that were currently holding him upright. They shook as he stared at them, and he became aware now in his stillness of an odd weight on his head and back.

"You nearly made yourself a half-Pikachu, you know," the Mistress stated, her odd conversational tone breaking Ash out of his trance. Ash could only blink at her. The Mistress shook her head and beckoned to something behind Ash. "It is safe now, you may move. Thank you for keeping your promise."

Pikachu nodded absently in acknowledgement, but within she was in turmoil. At the Mistress's beckoning she had no choice but to finally come forward, but she was still conflicted about her reaction. One thing was certain, however; Ash needed her, and she would be there to help. She sternly reminded herself as she stepped forward that no matter how much she wished this could be true, no matter how perfect it seemed to her, it would not be what Ash wanted. He would hate this, would be afraid, and would want to reverse the process as soon as possible. And as his friend, she would help him do just that.

"Pikapi?" A quiet, familiar voice caught Ash's attention, and he turned to it in relief. His best friend sat beside him, and she at least was still familiar. True, she was now a bit larger than he was, and she smelled a lot stronger than she used to, but it was a familiar scent, and a familiar figure.

"Pikachu," he breathed in relief. "Pi ka…" he stopped, startled. He had meant to say "I want my body back", but he had forgotten about the speech problem. Fortunately Pikachu seemed to understand without words.

She nodded, and butted him with her head in encouragement to rise. Ash caught something like pain flickering in her eyes, but he was too distressed himself to wonder at it. He rose obediently to all fours, and gratefully leaned against Pikachu when his legs wobbled a bit. Seeing he was reasonably stable, Pikachu turned an imploring gaze to the Mistress.

"Pika chu."

The Mistress's expression seemed to soften in apology, as if she was finally realizing how hard this had been on them both. "I do not have to. Ash now has the ability to change back whenever he wishes. But aren't you being a bit hasty? Surely you would like to experiment a bit more, Ash?"

Pikachu hesitated at the question, but Ash firmly shook his head. He gave the Mistress his fiercest glare but refused to attempt 'speech' again. The woman's attempt at helpfulness was lost on him. Pikachu furiously swallowed the selfish questions on her tongue and told her eyes to water another time.

"Pikachu, pika," she assured the Mistress. "Pi?"

"As you wish," she conceded to the pokemon's request for an explanation. "To change back, all that is required is for Ash to imagine himself back as a human, and to will the change to occur. The reverse is also true."

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned gently, prodding Ash. Ash nodded his understanding and steeled himself for the umpteenth time. Establishing a firmer grip on the rocky ground, he leaned away from Pikachu and did as the Mistress had instructed. Concentrating was difficult, but by sheer will power he was able to tune out the distractions. At least the willing part was easy, since currently there was nothing he wanted more.

As he remembered what it felt like to be human, he felt the odd weightlessness overtake him once more. Refusing to lose his calm he endured the sensation, and was surprised when the feeling of compression remained absent. Instead there was a freeing feeling, akin to shedding a skin that had been too small. It was a good feeling, and this time the transformation progressed without complications. When he opened his eyes again everything was back at its proper height and he was refreshingly tail-free. The smells were back to their nearly non-existent state and all he could hear was the wind. He could almost believe it had all been a dream – albeit a really weird waking dream – except for the way Pikachu was determinedly not looking at him, instead choosing to glare at the Mistress. The woman remained impassive.

"Pika," Pikachu demanded, now that it seemed everything was back to normal. The Mistress gave a nod that was almost a bow.

"Before I explain, I will remind you that the change was only temporary, as I had promised," she pointed out. "And that it was Ash's own will that fueled it, both times. This was meant simply as a gift, and one that Ash can have access to whenever he chooses. Do you still wish to hear my tale? You may still leave at any time, if you choose." Ash glared, having recovered enough to be angry.

"That wasn't a gift, that was a cage," he retorted, the experience too fresh in his mind to truly consider what he was saying. Pikachu flinched, but it went unnoticed.

"I do realize that I could have handled that better, and I apologize," the Mistress admitted. "That being said, are you not willing to listen to my reasons? Will you be stubborn to the point of foolishness?" Ash made no response, and the woman seemed to take that as acceptance.

"Very well then. My story begins—"

"Wait," Ash interrupted. "Explain the half-pikachu comment." The Mistress tossed a glance of vague annoyance in his general direction.

"As you may have noticed, there were some…difficulties with your transformation."

"Difficulties," Ash deadpanned, with more success this time.

"You fought against the initial change, and with surprising strength," she elaborated. "I was unprepared for such a struggle, and as a result you nearly achieved a stalemate. Luckily I was able to get the upper hand, or you could have ended up as some sort of pikachu and human mixture, which I'm sure would not have been pleasant."

"So you mean that I could have…"

"I am certain it would have been reversible," the woman assured him. "In truth the confusion probably accounted for your heightened disorientation after the change. The next time will probably be much easier."

"Who says there will be a next time?"

"Ash..." The Mistress sighed. "If you will allow me to explain, you may see the necessity of this, as well as the other events that have occurred."

"Fine," Ash ground out, angry but as reluctant as before to turn away from his 'prize'. "Explain away." Pikachu, curious and as eager as the Mistress to change topics, nodded in agreement.

"Thank you. My story begins in a time long past and equally long forgotten, when humans and pokemon lived in harmony with each other. They each lived life according to their own beliefs and rules, and each respected the beliefs and rules of the other. Some pokemon helped humans out of their own free will, as humans likewise occasionally helped pokemon, but there was no ownership. There was no such thing as a pokemon battle, and although conflict still existed and the world was not perfect, there was never the idea of inferiority that exists today, that humans are dominant over pokemon. Pokemon were not exploited as they are now.

"With the invention of the pokeball, all of this changed. Its invention, of course, was a mistake – but the mistake turned out to be a wealthy one, and soon people everywhere were shouting for their own balls. It turned into a new sport and then, a lifestyle. The first pokemon trainers were born, making it their life's aim to capture and train as many pokemon as they could, changing irrevocably the symbiotic relationship between people and pokemon.

"The humans ruled over the pokemon for a long time, eventually becoming entirely reliant on them. They exchanged their old electricity systems in favour of pokemon-powered generators; they used pokemon in agriculture, for entertainment, communication, transportation – virtually anything and everything was done with the help of pokemon. The humans flourished from the work of their slaves, and exploitation of pokemon grew.

"Finally there came a time when the pokemon had had enough. They revolted. They slaughtered their trainers first, their enslavers, and anyone else who stood in their way. Good trainers were killed as well, along with the few pokemon who dared to stand up for them. It was a massacre. The people were helpless to defend themselves against their own weapons. Eventually the humans abandoned their towns and cities and fled the wrath of the pokemon.

"They tried to rebuild, but at first it seemed impossible. They had been reliant on pokemon power for so long that they were utterly helpless on their own. But slowly they regained the technology of the past, and very, _very_ slowly they began to establish normal life once more. Of course, they could never attain the fabulous lifestyle they had previously enjoyed, but they survived. Humanity struggled on. Children were born, and those children grew up with a strong respect for the natural world around them, especially the pokemon. Both sides began to forgive and forget.

"…With the invention of the pokeball, all of this changed." The Mistress paused, likely for dramatic effect.

"Um, not to say that isn't interesting and all, but what does that have to do with us?" Ash prompted, concerned that the woman was done talking. Pikachu nodded her agreement.

"I'm getting to that, just be patient," the Mistress said, dismissing his comment with an airy wave. Ash scowled, but stayed silent. "My point, Mr. Ketchum, is this: this cycle has been repeating itself for centuries, no, millennia. Now it has been interrupted, and the consequences of such an interruption can only be disastrous. And it is all your fault."

"_What?!_" Ash exploded. This was too much. "It's _my_ fault?! How in the _world _is it _my _fault?! I'm only 20! And what happened to being 'chosen'?!" Pikachu stiffened beside him, but still remained mute.

"Ash, please calm down. I did not bring you here to get into an argument with you."

"You didn't?" Ash spat. "Well, that's not how it looks from here! Let's see, first you drag us up here to this horrible mountain, you almost _kill_ me and Pikachu, and now you're accusing me of destroying the world! That _is_ what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, potentially, but—"

"Then we're clear! And I really don't need to listen to you any more!" Ash turned, and was about to storm away to who-knows-where (he sure didn't) when he saw something dart ahead of him. Placing herself between Ash and the exit, Pikachu met his gaze with some effort and simply said his name in a soft, almost pleading tone. After a long moment he sighed, his anger drained.

"Alright," he said, turning back to the Mistress, "I'll keep listening - as long as you promise to stop insulting me." Some of his anger rekindled and Ash glared at the offending woman.

"Ash, I'm afraid I can't make that promise," she admitted, "For it is true that you—and Pikachu—are the ones at fault for the calamities now facing us, whether or not it was done intentionally. However, allow me to explain." The scowl had reappeared on Ash's face, but he made no move to leave or speak. The Mistress sighed.

"I suppose I should apologize for my earlier comment; I had not meant to anger you, though I felt it was best to broach the subject bluntly. That was a mistake, I see that now." Ash nodded stiffly, and she continued.

"You see, there have been a few events in the past that _should_ have been the start of the pokemon's revolt. The first of these involved a pokemon called Mewtwo. I'm sure you remember it." Ash merely frowned in confusion, and Pikachu cocked her head to the side. The Mistress frowned as well for a moment, but soon her features lifted again in understanding. "Ah yes, that's right; your memories of that incident were wiped." She paused again, seeming to consider something. "Well, I don't see any problem with returning them to you now. They will certainly help you with the current problem, and Mewtwo was wrong to take them away in the first place." She waved her hands, and there was a sudden flash of light. Ash and Pikachu gasped.

Images, feelings, and thoughts raced through their minds like wildfire, too many to consciously make sense of. But somehow it _was_ making sense, and they were remembering. Ash's eyes widened as his memory of the clones returned, and softened as he remembered releasing Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle from capture. Pikachu felt tears come to her eyes as she watched Ash get hit and turn to stone, and felt the unbearable pain of loss once again. Eventually the rush of information slowed, and then sputtered to a stop. Blinking in astonishment, they exchanged glances with each other, and then turned identical wide-eyed stares to the Mistress.

"As you can see, it was because of your actions that Mewtwo did not succeed," she clarified. "If not for you two, that event surely would have led to the next stage of the cycle. Instead, the era of humans was prolonged. But there were more chances for the revolt.

"The second event involved the three legendary birds and another legendary pokemon called Lugia. The three birds, known as Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno, became victims of the enslaving humans. But the humans had overestimated their own strength, and the birds were freed. This was inevitable. Their rage and vengeance was also inevitable, and it was also foreseen that Lugia would rise up out of the sea and try to contain their fury. It would fail, this was foreseen as well. What was _not_ foreseen was your involvement. Without your aid, the combined power of the three legendary birds would have overcome Lugia, and would have laid waste to the power of the humans. However, you stepped in, and because of you, Lugia emerged victorious."

"But…but there was a prophecy!" Ash sputtered. "I was the 'chosen one'! I was _supposed_ to help!" The Mistress raised her eyebrows in surprise – or maybe just interest.

"Chosen one? No one is ever 'chosen'. Sometimes the necessary personalities are simply in the right place at the right time. Nothing more, and nothing less. That prophecy was created by observant people long ago, who had noticed the inevitable shift of power, and who were hopeful. That is all."

"You're one to talk! What about all the 'Champion' stuff?" The Mistress of Time waved her hand in dismissal of the idea.

"Nothing more than a backup plan," she explained, no emotion entering her voice. "That prophecy was preserved over the years in case something like this happened. The wording of it was changed slightly as the possibilities narrowed and I was able to see farther ahead, so it fits the two of you quite well. There is no truth to it, but it served well enough to bring the two of you to me."

Pikachu frowned. Something didn't seem to fit – if this woman could see the future as well as she claimed, then why hadn't she done something before now? Pikachu said as much, and the Mistress smiled in appreciation.

"Good question," she commented, and both observers could detect something like pride in her expression. "The future is a tricky thing, as I think I've mentioned before. Although the possibilities do narrow as the actual event approaches, the outcome is never entirely certain until after the fact. Because of this, although I edited the prophecy I could not act until I was entirely sure that the revolt would not come to pass. Also, altering the future is very dangerous. If your actions do not fit into one of the many possible outcomes – and my interference did not – then the consequences are completely unpredictable, and could be disastrous. I did not want to chance that until I knew I had no choice. With the way things are now, I am willing to risk it. I doubt anything that I do could end with a future worse than the one I currently foresee. And of course, before there was always a high possibility that one or both of you would die, and there would be nothing to worry about."

"Wait – so you were hoping we would _die_?" Ash flared yet again. "That wasn't a test, that thing with the geodudes. You _were_ trying to kill us!" The Mistress turned a cold gaze on Ash, and Pikachu decided it was high time she stepped in.

"Pikapi, pi chu pika," she reasoned. She could tell this was going to be hard; had the Mistress been _trying_ to provoke him? She carried on, trying to get him to see past his anger to the necessity of the situation. The Mistress had already admitted that she needed them for her plan to succeed; it would make no sense to kill them off now. And anyways, no matter how you looked at it two lives were a small price to pay for the world's safety. Eventually Ash calmed down enough to see the logic in her argument.

"You're right, of course," Ash sighed. "She just…"

"Pikachupi," she agreed, giving his leg a pat. He could think clearly again, and that had been her goal.

"May I continue now?" the Mistress interrupted. Pikachu narrowed her eyes.

"Pichukapi," she accused, verbalizing her suspicion of attempted provoking. The Mistress shrugged elegantly.

"Perhaps. May I continue now?"

"Go on," Ash replied. His posture was stiff now, prepared. This was a battle now; one that he would not lose.

"As I was saying, there were two chances for the revolt to occur, and the two of you managed to stop both. There will be another, but it will come too late. It is almost too late now. If we were to allow the current sequence of events to continue, it is quite likely that it would be the end of the human race. But I believe if you are careful, and use the gifts I will give correctly, then it is possible to avoid tragedy. Do not think that you can avoid the shift in power completely. All that is possible is too prolong it, and doing so would only make it worse in the end, as I think I've already explained. The only chance now is for you to control the revolt, and perhaps save as many lives as you can, including your own of course. If things continued as they are, I can assure you that the Pokemon Master would become a prime target."

Ash's eyes widened in realization, but both he and Pikachu relaxed slightly. It seemed the Mistress wasn't out to get them after all, if what she was doing would save their lives.

"I regret to admit that this will put you in danger as well, but it is infinitely better than the certain death that awaits you and all of your pokemon," she continued. "You now have a choice to make. I cannot force you, so it is ultimately up to you whether you will accept this task or not. It will not be easy, but I do not believe it will be entirely impossible." Ash and Pikachu shared a glance, and returned with identical expressions of determination.

"We'll do it," Ash confirmed, and Pikachu supported him with a firm "yes". The Mistress nodded soberly, apparently expecting this reply.

"Then we are coming to a close of the wisdom I have to impart. There are a few more details concerning your other form that you should know. The process itself is a very old form of magic, and all it requires is a very strong bond between a human and a pokemon, along with a little psychic help that I was able to provide. I must warn you that this ability is only temporary. There is only so much back-and-forth that you can handle, and you will eventually have to settle again. However, that is a discussion for another time.

"As I've said before, this ability is my gift to you. With the aid of both forms you will be able to easily mingle in the worlds of both humans _and_ pokemon, without giving either side cause for suspicion. This ability will make your task possible, and will very likely save your lives more than once. It should be obvious, but you must be very careful never to let anyone see you change. Not only would that endanger your lives, but it would likely be the end of any chance for success.

"There are a few details of this arrangement that I suppose you need to know. While you are in a form you have all the abilities of that form – meaning, Ash, that you will be able to use electric attacks while in your Pikachu form. Also, I believe in cases like this you retain the lifespan of your longest-lived form…in this case, human. This means that Ash will not accidentally die of old age in his pokemon form."

"I believe that is all I was planning to tell you… If you have any remaining questions, now is the time to ask." Ash and Pikachu had been listening in stunned silence, but both perked up at the prompt.

"There is one thing I still don't understand," Ash began. "What was the point of that…test…if it wasn't to make sure that we were the Champions?"

"Ah yes," the Mistress murmured. "I was wondering when we'd get back to that. The test was, in short, meant to do just what I said it was; it was supposed to make sure that you were who I expected you to be, and to ensure you would be capable of accomplishing the task I would assign to you. It also had the added bonus of giving Pikachu the opportunity to learn that new attack. And, of course, it gave me an opportunity to save Pikachu's life…and overcoming that trial also made you both more determined to hear me out."

"You…!" Ash spluttered, angered again, but was silenced by a soft tug on his pant leg. He looked down into Pikachu's soft brown eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Pi pi, Pikapi," she said softly. "Pikachu pi kachu…"

"Alright," he muttered in response. "We're both ok, you're right. It doesn't really matter anymore." Pikachu nodded in satisfaction.

"Pika ka?" Pikachu questioned, looking back up at the Mistress. The woman raised her eyebrows.

"Who am I?" she repeated, surprised. "I told you, I am everything and –"

"Pi pika, pikachu chu kacha," Pikachu rattled off quickly, beating the Mistress to her own response. "PiKa, chu pika?"

"Oh, you want a name?" the Mistress guessed. "Well, I suppose I can tell you… I am Celebi." There were identical gasps from Ash and Pikachu. They did seem to be doing that a lot.

"Celebi?" Ash repeated. "But…you don't look like –"

"This is merely the form in which I chose to present myself to you," she explained. "It is easier to communicate with both of you this way, and I have found I am treated more seriously when I appear like this." Her dark green eyes darkened. "Just another reason why this cycle needs to progress."

"So you're a pokemon…" Ash muttered. "That explains some things…" If possible, the Mistress's eyes darkened more.

"What do you mean?" Ash paused, but decided to just say it.

"You don't like me."

"No, I suppose I don't," she admitted after another pause. But before Ash could elaborate, she continued, "But has it occurred to you that I dislike you because of your stupidity, rather than your species?"

"You started insulting me the _second_ you appeared. You never gave me a chance."

"I have been watching you for a long time, Ash," she replied dangerously. "I didn't need to give you a 'chance'."

"But you've also been watching humans for a long time," Ash countered, undeterred. "Maybe you're not as unbiased as you seem to think."

"Ash, I dislike you because I do not believe you should have been able to achieve what you have, because you possess below-average intelligence, are oblivious, conceited, and…" she frowned, and then finally admitted softly, "because you are human."

"I knew it!" Ash crowed, but was quickly subdued by a glare from Pikachu.

"I suppose…perhaps I have been watching for too long." The Mistress seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then remembered herself and glanced quickly at the sky. "Dawn approaches. It is time for you to leave."

"Don't tell me," Ash groaned, glancing back the way they had come, "that we have to go back through there _again_…"

"No, no," the Mistress reassured them, shaking her head. "I will teleport you to the base of the mountain, and from there it is a simple matter to walk back into town. So if you have no more questions, I think –"

"One more thing," Ash interrupted. "Why was I the only one to get your 'gift'? Why not something for Pikachu?" Pikachu's ears perked up at the question, and she watched curiously. The Mistress shrugged elegantly.

"It was not necessary," she said simply. "Unlike you, Pikachu is already on the winning side." Both friends fell silent as the implications of this sunk in, and the Mistress allowed them a short break before calling their attention to the light situation.

"Dawn is nearly upon us," she reminded them. "If you would both come forward, you can be back in Lavender with the rising sun."

Ash and Pikachu came forward obligingly, and Ash took the offered hand with only a little hesitation. Pikachu, much lower to the ground, balanced precariously on her hind feet to reach the other hand, which she promptly yanked down to a more reasonable height once she got a handhold.

"Don't let go," she cautioned, and then closed her eyes. A soft green glow began to surround all three, growing so that it encompassed their entire view and they could see nothing else. They experienced a now-familiar feeling of weightlessness and then the green light faded and they found themselves standing at the base of the mountain as the light of dawn began to creep over the horizon. Ash turned to thank the Mistress for the ride, but was met only with a flash of green light and a whisper of "good luck".

"Somehow I think we'll need more than just luck," Ash muttered, turning away from the mountain and slowly beginning the trek back to Lavender.

"Chu…" Pikachu agreed, gaze fixed on the rising sun. She fell back to all fours and slowly hopped after Ash, wide eyes still watching the dawn.

(o. o)

Celebi hovered out of sight behind a small bush and watched the two friends make their way towards Lavender. She had allowed Ash to mistake the flash from her transformation as a sign that she had actually disappeared, and now she was alone with her thoughts. The possibilities were beginning to narrow, but the future was still too much of a mess for her to see anything. She had done the equivalent of throwing a wrench into Time's plans, and it was anyone's guess how things would play out.

She had introduced herself as the Mistress of Time, but she no more governed time than a sailor controlled the sea. Celebi was very hopeful that things would turn out for the best, but she no longer had any say in that. She had put that responsibility in the hands of two mortals, and even now she wasn't entirely sure if it had been the right decision.

From what she could gather from their reactions, Celebi could tell Pikachu was beginning to understand the enormity of the problem, but she wasn't sure about Ash. He was still being his normal happy-go-lucky self, and she could only hope that he would understand before it was too late. If he didn't take this seriously enough, the consequences could be fatal.

Perhaps she was underestimating him. He _had_ picked up on her bias towards humans after all, so he wasn't completely dense. Then again…her bias did have some base, and in this case Ash's humanity might actually prove to be a handicap. No matter how good a soul Ash had, the facts remained that he had been raised according to the beliefs and ideals that humans held…and in any other situation that would automatically make him an enemy of the pokemon. Add to that the fact that he was the Master…automatic death sentence.

It would be his relationship with Pikachu that would save him. Celebi had never seen anything quite like it, or perhaps she had just never been looking. In any case, it was something very special, and hopefully it was strong enough to keep them both alive in the times to come. If things went according to plan, the gift she had given the two would strengthen that bond. If not…well, then she'd get to see how much Pikachu could do alone.

Only time would tell. And Celebi would be listening when it did.

* * *

**One thing I should point out here: I have never seen the Celebi movie, so my Celebi is entirely my own creation. Feed the author's soul, review. :)**


	7. Lessons

**Wow, this chapter took a while. On the upside I finally have a full outline written out, so hopefully there won't be quite so many rewrites and scrapping in the future, which will make it faster. That's the theory, anyways.**

**So sorry to everyone for the long wait, but there's the first bits of romance in this chappie, as demanded. This one's mostly about character development, but it's important to the overall flow, so action!fans, bear with me. Please let me know if you sense anyone getting OC…I'm quite paranoid about that.**

**Hope it satisfies.**

**_"words"_: pokemon speak**

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 7: Lessons_

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"Chu…"

The whining of the small yellow mouse was accompanied by a rhythmic poking at the large mass of blankets upon which it was perched. The mass was not moving.

"Chuuuu…."

The blankets twitched a bit, and a strange garbled sound was emitted.

"Piichuuuu…"

A hand emerged from the mass and swatted vaguely at the mouse. It missed entirely.

"_Piiichuuuu…"_

A louder garbled sound was emitted, and the blanket mass shifted significantly. The mouse seemed encouraged.

"_Piiiikachuuuu…"_

The hand took another swipe, missed, and the mass gave a loud groan. The top blanket was pulled back and a pair of squinty black eyes was revealed. The mouse chirped happily at its success.

"Pikachu," Ash groaned irritably. "What time is…" He trailed off as he glanced out of the window and was confronted by complete darkness. He dropped his face into his hands and rubbed at his eyes, as if to assure himself that he was indeed as tired as he thought he was. "We're going to become nocturnal," came the slightly muffled comment.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed cheerfully. Ash glared at her, and she hopped wisely off the bed.

"Why aren't you tired?" Ash questioned as he blinked hard, slowly becoming fully awake.

"Pika pikachu," Pikachu answered brightly. This only earned her another glare.

"Yeah right, more robust my…" Ash blinked in realization. "We can't really do anything in the middle of the night," he pointed out. "I might as well go back to sleep…"

"Pikapiiii!" the pokemon protested. Ash sighed.

"That doesn't mean you have to go back to sleep, you know," he suggested. "Although you should make sure you have enough energy for tomorrow."

"Pi pikachupi…" she complained.

"Go outside then, if it's so boring in here. But I need more sleep if we want to get anything done tomorrow."

"Pika! Pipika chu, pik kach."

"A plan? Now?" Ash squinted at his best friend in disbelief.

"Pikachu pi pika kachu ka," she explained. Ash reluctantly agreed that they would waste time tomorrow if they went ahead without a plan.

"You have one then, I'm assuming?" Pikachu shook her head and Ash gave her a flat look. "Fine then, we'll think. We'll stay awake, and we'll think." Ash punctuated this by flopping back onto the bed, out of sight of Pikachu. The pokemon's silence seemed to mean agreement, and silence in the room went uninterrupted for quite a while.

Ash gazed out the window, fighting sleep but allowing free reign to any random thoughts or memories that floated through his mind. He wasn't too great at planning things ahead, and he knew it, but he would at least make an effort. It was likely Pikachu would come up with something better, anyways.

Suddenly an almost-forgotten memory popped into his head, and Ash latched onto it immediately. As he remembered more and more of the strange memory a plan started to build up around it. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He cleared his throat, and immediately gained Pikachu's attention.

"I remember Gary telling me about an experiment he did a while ago," Ash began, and Pikachu tilted her head in confusion. "He wanted to know the effects of a new plant or something on the forest, but he couldn't experiment with the forest itself because it might be a bad effect, and he didn't want the whole forest to suffer. So he took a small sample of plants and soil and stuff and made a mini-forest inside the lab. Then he added the new plant to that. The mini-forest was much easier to observe than the entire forest, and because of his findings he was eventually able to add the plant to the real forest without any bad effects.

"I think this is pretty much the same. This whole problem is too big to tackle as a whole, so we need to create our own mini-forest. Then we can figure out the best way to do it on a larger scale, so that any mistakes we make won't be that horrible. And once we're satisfied with the mini-forest, then we can do the same with the real one."

"Pika…" Pikachu breathed, beginning to understand.

"We need to start out small. If we choose a small, out-of-the-way town we can control it, and if we mess up we can keep it quiet. And if it's a success, then we'll simply spread to more and more little towns and then to larger towns and cities. Eventually we'll sweep through the whole world – and as long as we know what we're doing and keep it under control, we'll be okay. And we'll be able to save as many people – and pokemon – as possible.

"We'll lead the revolt."

"Pika?" Pikachu blinked at him in surprise, and Ash nodded.

"We know that the pokemon will come out on top. So for us to be able to control and survive this thing, we need to be on their side from the start. If we're the ones who start it, we get to set the terms. There must be partners like us out there; people and pokemon who would never turn against each other, no matter what. Those will be the ones that are most at risk, and those are the ones we need to protect at all costs." As he spoke Ash felt his idea become more complex and visible, and the final product now presented itself as a glittering, crystallized idea. He was getting caught up and swept along by his own idea, but at the moment he was too engaged to care. "The perfect society…one where humans and pokemon are friends, or at least equals, and never master and slave…that is our goal." Ash's eyes were shining from the vocalization of his new dream, and Pikachu felt her spirits rising as well. They could do this, eliminate all the abuse and enforce equality. She and Pikapi would pull through, and they would drag the rest of the world with them.

"Pi pikachu!" she cheered, jumping up and flashing a peace sign at her friend. Ash grinned back widely.

"So it's a good plan?"

"Pika_chu_!"

"Alright, so then all we need is a target…"

(o. o)-/

Ash looked morosely around the small field he had chosen for his practice area and considered his options. He was reluctant to use his new form any more than was absolutely necessary, but he had finally agreed that this was one of those times. To avoid any odd suspicions, he had to have some control over his electricity, and to have that he needed to practice. A lot.

Ash sighed, letting his breath out in a puff that ruffled the fur of his face. …Fur… He twitched slightly at the extreme unnaturalness of it all. He wanted nothing more than to switch back to his normal, natural, _human_ form and forget all this had ever happened. But that, of course, was not an option, as the Mistress had oh-so clearly explained. Not to mention the fact that Pikachu would probably murder him if he did.

He just had to face facts. He didn't have a choice here. No matter how unpleasant and eerie this was, he would just have to bear it. He would have to get used to it sooner or later, and it was better not to have an audience. Right.

Successfully fortified, Ash marched over to a menacingly tall stalk of something unidentifiable but planty, and gave it his best glare. He focused all his will power on frying the plant, envisioning the electricity jumping from his cheeks to the plant and burning it to a crisp. He clenched his jaw and tensed, claws digging firmly into the earth, but nothing happened. His tail twitched and his ears flattened, eyes narrowing in an even fiercer glare. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt.

Nothing.

Ash sat back and huffed. He gave an annoyed swat at the plant and watched thoughtfully as it swayed back and forth, back and forth, as if it was mocking him. Irrationally annoyed by this, he jumped up and tried again, hoping his anger this time would help. No such luck. Frustrated, he pounced on the plant and stopped its mocking swaying. Victorious he sat and pondered some more on what he was doing wrong.

A rustle from the bushes on his right interrupted his musings, and he sat up curiously to regard the intruder. A boy, almost a teenager, was carefully entering the clearing. His brown eyes widened when he spotted Ash, and he froze with one foot in the air. The two stared at each other silently for a few moments, neither moving. Finally the boy lowered his foot slowly and entered the clearing completely, never losing eye contact with the small pikachu.

Equally slowly he raised his hand to the belt at his waist and gripped one of the red and white balls that rested there. Ash remained still throughout this process, the situation still not fully registering with him. He was another trainer, after all; he wasn't in any danger. He tilted his head slightly in curiosity and emitted a soft "chu" in a completely unconscious gesture.

Immediately his eyes widened as the real problem hit him like a ton of spiked bricks. Currently, he looked like a pokemon; he _was_ a pokemon, as far as that trainer was concerned. And a rare one too, at that. There was every reason to believe that the human would try to catch him and absolutely no reason why it wouldn't work.

It suddenly became imperative that Ash stop the trainer from using that ball.

Acting on pure instinct, Ash connected with a primal, elemental part of himself and used a strange muscle in his cheeks, neither of which he had known he possessed. To his extreme surprise and relief a small stream of electricity jumped out of his body and straight at the opposing trainer's hand. With a soft cry of pain the human dropped the ball and it dropped to the ground with a soft thump. Oddly the human grinned.

"It's young," he muttered, to himself it seemed. "That's perfect." Still grinning, the boy reached for another ball, showing none of the hesitance of before. In panic Ash desperately searched for that elemental core he had reached earlier, but to no avail. Eyes widening as the boy seemed to lift his arm in slow motion, Ash knew he was running out of time. And finally – yes! – there it was!

Ash made the same cheek twitch as before, but his heart almost stopped in panic when all that came out was a weak spurt of sparks. Frantically making the connection again, Ash was overcome with a sense of emptiness and exhaustion. He suddenly knew that he was out, he was done – his power was spent. In one little spark.

And then suddenly the pokeball was flying at him and he did the only thing he could do. He turned and ran.

But unfamiliar with his new body as he was, he didn't get very far. No sooner than he had evaded the first ball with his sudden leap then he tripped over his own legs and fell in an ungainly flop. The second ball smacked into his back as he was struggling to rise, and it _hurt_. Ignoring the pain he stumbled upright and again attempted to run, although he could already see and feel the red light surrounding him. It felt like he was suffocating, the red surrounding him like a noxious cloud of gas, and Ash felt himself growing faint. And it was hot too; it burned, like acid or fire, slowly scorching away his fur and licking at his skin, burrowing into his insides and lodging there like burning worms. Ash made some small cry and the pain made him even more frenzied in his efforts to escape, even as he knew it was useless.

He heard faint laughter, and then the red completely engulfed him and he knew no more.

(o. o)

Pikachu eyed the small village of Elmira drearily from behind her tree. The day was drawing to a close, and activity in the village was subsiding as everyone retreated into their homes. It had been a productive day for Pikachu, and she hoped Ash had fared well also. They would step up their efforts tomorrow, but for now the small pokemon simply watched the sleepy little village go about its evening routine.

It was nearing sunset now and the sun's rays were beginning to lose their intensity, making the small clump of houses appear drowsier with each passing second. Some people still milled about making conversation and being generally sociable, but the majority of people had deserted the dirt roads that served as streets. Toys remained scattered across the ground, left there from the day's play, and would remain there until the next morning. No one seemed to be concerned about theft in such a small community, and everything from plastic balls to bikes was haphazardly strewn upon the grass.

'Downtown' remained slightly more active. The lights were out in the one-room schoolhouse, but people continued to flow through the doors of the few shops. From her location Pikachu could still make out a few figures gathered by the town's water fountain, wiling away the time until they had to go to sleep.

Pikachu yawned and settled more comfortably onto the grass. She had spent the day wandering the small town, observing and listening to the resident pokemon and trainers. As expected there weren't many, and none of them seemed to be in distress. Unfortunately that made her job a lot harder, since she would have a lot of convincing to do. And the convincing wasn't exactly easy for her either. She hadn't hated humans for quite a while, and she was finding it difficult to channel her angry younger self. _It's all Ash's fault_, she accused good-naturedly. _If only he'd been a horrible trainer_…

Thoughts of Ash naturally led to curiosity about his day. He had planned to spend it attempting to get the handle of his new form and the abilities he possessed, but Pikachu knew he couldn't have been very successful. It had taken her years and years of intensive training to get to where she was, and she knew Ash would be lucky if he could even manage to send off a weak thundershock at this point. Even that was unlikely, given the boy's reluctance to even acknowledge his other form. He had probably spent the entire day jumping at his shadow.

Pikachu blinked, startling herself with her bitterness. She just couldn't seem to get over that, and she was starting to bug herself with her obsession. She was just glad that she hadn't said that out loud where Ash could hear.

The electric mouse got to her feet, deciding she had spent quite enough time reflecting. Any more and it would be hard to act normal around Ash when she saw him again that night. She gave herself a little shake to rid herself of any lingering thoughts, and took comfort in the familiar sound of her fur rustling. With a final glance at the sleepy village she turned and hopped deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes she reached her and Ash's temporary campsite, currently consisting simply of Ash's bag hung on a tall tree. Pikachu agilely scaled the tree and plucked the bag off the branch, strap between her teeth. She tumbled back down the tree with her prize, somehow managing to keep her balance and land on all fours. After rummaging around in the disorganized pack she was able to locate her food, which she hauled out with a happy 'chu'. Not bothering with such human niceties as a bowl, Pikachu plopped the bag down in front of her and began to eat, waiting for her trainer to return.

She waited. And waited. Half the bag of pokemon food disappeared.

And Ash never came.

Pikachu fell asleep waiting, curled up between her trainer's backpack and a bag of pokefood, a worried expression on her sleeping face.

(o. o)-/

"Alright little guy, time for breakfast!"

Ash regained consciousness in degrees as the redness spat him back out, thankfully with no pain this time, and the world rematerialized around him. The words came to him through a fog, and he couldn't make sense of them. Dazzled by the sudden brightness, he stumbled a bit before he gained his footing and was finally able to interpret what his maladjusted eyes were telling him.

The first thing that registered was that everything was abnormally large. This puzzled him until he looked down and caught sight of a yellow paw. Then it all came back.

Stunned now for an entirely different reason, Ash-the-pikachu tilted his head up and was meant with the grinning face of the brown-eyed boy – his _trainer_. Ash cringed involuntarily from the idea, and a frown appeared on the boy's face.

"Hey, it's okay," the kid whispered in what Ash assumed was supposed to be a reassuring tone. "I'm not going to hurt you." This was followed by an outstretched hand. Ash withdrew into a hunch but didn't back away, curiosity winning out. After a slight hesitation the hand – which, Ash noted, was easily the size of his whole head – moved closer and touched his fur. This proved to be a mistake.

The boy jerked back with a yelp even as Ash leapt away from him, barely avoiding a collision with what appeared to be a food bowl. Back now pressed against the wall, Ash watched in confusion as the boy shook his hand in pain. Ash hadn't done anything to hurt him, or so he thought.

He took advantage of the confusion to observe the room. It appeared to be a bedroom, with a single bed, a dresser, and a closet. And a door. An open door.

Ash spared a single glance for the still-complaining boy, and sprinted. He had almost made it when he was noticed.

"No!" the boy cried belatedly. "Pikachu, return!"

The familiar line caused Ash to pause, and that was all that was needed. He could only observe that the light was painless this time before consciousness abandoned him and he was left only with a vague feeling of hunger.

(o. o)

_The trees flashed past her as she ran frantically, jumping, swerving and tumbling to avoid the mass of pokeballs that followed her like a demented beedril swarm. The clunking sounds of their progress haunted her steps, and as soon as she successfully evaded one ten more would appear from the other side of the path. Her thundershocks worked best to disperse the swarm and gave her a few moments' peace, but her energy was draining rapidly. _

_It was a race. She was running to find Ash, and she knew that all would be well as soon as she found him. She would be safe, he would protect her like he always did. She just had to avoid them for a little while longer, just a little farther…_

_Finally she burst out of the trees and was running along flat grass without breaking stride. Without the trees she had less protection, and she adopted a zigzag motion to give her a bit more time. Firing off one last thundershock, she searched for Ash. Where was he? He was supposed to be here, ready to save her._

_The swarm gathered again and she tumbled as she felt something whiz past her ear. But the ball hadn't even come close to hitting her. She watched in confusion as the whole swarm abandoned her and zoomed toward a small shape standing in the grass._

_Pikachu dashed after them, suddenly gripped with a crushing sense of foreboding. As she got closer she recognized the figure as another pikachu. At the same time it seemed to notice her and the swarm, and it turned to face them. Pikachu gasped and stumbled. The pikachu had black cheeks: it was Ash._

_As if in slow motion Ash turned to run from the oncoming balls but Pikachu knew he didn't have a chance. He moved too slowly, and the swarm was on him in an instant. Pikachu ran faster, faster than she thought possible, but she was too late. She heard a purely human voice call her name, and then the swarm closed in around him and he was gone._

Pikachu woke with a gasp, her heart racing. She felt shaky, and she had to spend a few moments staring at the ground and just breathing, trying to calm herself down. Like a mantra she repeated to herself that Ash was fine, Ash was human, he was safe, the swarm was not coming back…

Finally her breathing slowed and her limbs regained some semblance of solidarity. It did not help that she was currently in a forest, but the dream had faded a bit and she could think clearly. The dream had been very disturbing, worse than a normal nightmare. This particular one had been recurring ever since the Mistress had returned their memories of that time in Mewtwo's castle, and Pikachu suspected they were the worse for being missing in the first place.

In none of the previous versions of the dream had Ash ever been in any danger. They were only after her, and Ash was always human. Sometimes Pikachu wouldn't make it out of the forest at all and the swarm would win, other times they would get her just before she reached Ash, but if she did manage to get to him before they got her, she was safe. That was it, the end. Once she was in Ash's arms she was untouchable. Pikachu realized that this was unlike the reality of the event, but her dream didn't appear to like reality much.

This time it started out the same, but Ash in his pikachu form had been a completely unexpected twist. The swarm hadn't been after her this time; they had been after Ash, and she had led them right to him. Ash, who as a pikachu was powerless to defend himself.

Ash, who hadn't returned last night.

Pikachu's eyes flew wide open again and she whirled around, desperately trying to prove herself wrong. His bag remained undisturbed along with the rolled sleeping bag, although the pokefood had toppled over at some point during the night. Even a thorough check of the air revealed no recent scent.

"Pikapi!" she called hopelessly. Of course, there was no answer. Abandoning any further search, she turned and dashed for the clearing.

_Okay, so he's not back yet; that doesn't mean he got swallowed up by Mewtwo's evil intelligent pokeballs, _she tried to reason with herself as she ran. _It could mean anything. He could have gotten lost, or exhausted himself, or just got distracted…Ash always gets distracted. And he never did have a good sense of direction. _But no matter how much she tried to convince herself to calm down, she couldn't get his scream out of her head - the sound of him screaming her name and disappearing inside the balls…getting swallowed by her own worst nightmare.

_No,_ she decided firmly. _Ash did _not_ get captured. He's smarter than that. _She paused. _I doubt it would even work. He's still human, isn't he? _The uncertainty she detected in her own thoughts unnerved her, and she turned her complete attention to finding the clearing.

Finally she burst through the trees and skidded to a stop in the middle of the grassy clearing where Ash had said he would be training. She sat up straight on her haunches and went completely still as she listened for any sound. When all she detected was normal forest sounds she cautiously fell back to all fours and hopped further into the grass. Towards the right side of the clearing and beside an odd stamped down section she detected Ash's scent, old but present. To her dismay it seemed to stop randomly a little farther into the grass, with no indication of where he might have gone. The oldest scent trail led back into the forest, the direction he had obviously come from.

Feeling physically sick now, Pikachu hopped along the closest border of forest, searching for anything else that could have interfered. To her horror she detected traces of a young human boy just below Ash's entrance, an unfamiliar human. His trail led slightly into the grass, and then abruptly backtracked the way it had come.

Her dream had been right after all, it seemed. The tables had been turned, and Ash needed her. Pikachu would not let him down, not like her dream self did. She would save him, for all the times he had saved her. She would pry her best friend's cage from the boy's cold, dead hands if need be. Pikachu stopped herself from looking too closely at that last statement for fear that it might actually be the truth and took a deep breath, plunging back into the forest.

She had slept until late in the day, her vigil having kept her awake until pure exhaustion took over. So when she finally started her search it was already past noon. The tracking took hours. The boy took a roundabout way back to the village, and Pikachu had to follow every deviation he made for fear she would lose the scent. Even with her obsessive accuracy she almost lost the trail twice in the woods. The scent was a day old, and the kid was weird. Once he crossed a small stream and did _something_ in the water that resulted in him reappearing quite a bit farther upstream than where he started. Another time the scent just completely disappeared, at random it seemed. It took Pikachu a good half hour to figure out that the little freak had actually climbed a tree and mimicked a monkey for another two trees. She had to bite her tail to stop herself from letting loose a fierce thunderbolt from frustration.

When she finally reached the village the sun was down and her patience was gone. She muttered to herself as she walked, nonsensical noises that somehow made her feel better. One thing was for sure, if the kid tried to stop her from getting Ash back, he was toast. Burnt toast. Blackened, charred, incinerated toast.

The trail led into the town square and disappeared, the stones of the square not allowing for day-old scents. This time Pikachu could not prevent a few sparks shooting from her cheeks in what was quickly building up to rage. Anger mounting with every step, Pikachu trotted around the nearby houses, searching for some trace of the boy.

Trotting by the back door of one of the houses, Pikachu stopped in her tracks, picking up a scent that she hadn't been looking for. _Ash_. Ash had been here. Caution cowering in the face of her anger and desperation, she threw herself at the door, not caring about the racket as long as the door opened.

Unfortunately the screen door proved unexpectedly strong, and claws are not made to turn round handles. After a few minutes of useless head butting and scrabbling, Pikachu got the idea and cast around for another way inside. There was space underneath the rickety wooden porch, but the house itself rested firmly upon the ground, its solid brick foundation barring any access. A single window sat to the side of the screen door, easily large enough to admit a pikachu. It was tightly shut and the glass seemed firm, but perhaps with a little help…

Sitting up on her hind legs, Pikachu shot a small stream of electricity up to the window. She wasn't entirely sure what would happen, but she was confident that she wouldn't be beaten by a window. Sure enough, the glass shattered upon contact with the pure electricity, causing a burst of small, shimmering fragments. It was very pretty.

It was also very loud.

Pikachu winced at the sound, but leapt through the shattered window without wasting any time, using the unstable porch rail as a vault. She sailed through the window easily, landing softly on the carpeted floor and avoiding the vengeful shards of glass. She then paused as her eyes adjusted and scoped the small room.

She was in a living room, by the looks of it, with a comfy, lived-in feel. The puffy brown couch was sagging in places; the wooden coffee table had serviceable dents; and the thin carpet had some suspicious stains. Still, everything seemed in working order and there were no strange smells.

Pikachu padded forward cautiously, not quite sure what she was looking for. A pokeball, of course – but where would the ball be? Ash kept his in his backpack, but he was a traveler; certainly a boy living at home would have a better place to keep them. If he had put them away like a clean, obedient kid, it would be diff –

Pikachu's train of thought was cut short as she noticed a boy's jacket thrown carelessly on the couch. There was a suspicious lump in the rumpled fabric, and Pikachu felt her tail rise with hope. She leapt up beside the jacket and pawed the thin blue material aside, revealing exactly what she had hoped for: a pokeball.

She knew she should just take the ball and leave, right now, but her need to see Ash was overwhelming. She gave the white-and-red ball a poke and leapt backward. As the red light emerged she held her breath, going completely still. An ear, a tail, another ear, a paw… Before the light had even started to fade from the other pokemon, Pikachu pounced.

Ash's memory came back faster this time, and he had almost figured out what he was and what was happening to him when he got hit. The unexpected attack bowled him over, and he found himself on his back and staring up into a very familiar pair of black eyes.

"Pikapi!!"

"Pikachu!"

Cooing ecstatically Pikachu buried her face in Ash's fur, breathing deeply. Ash felt wetness where her face was a realized with a shock that she was crying.

"Pika…" he murmured vaguely, attempting to pat her back but belatedly realizing that his legs were too short. Pikachu noticed what he was trying to do, and lifted her head up, using his shoulders to stand on. She gave him a smile, meant to reassure him, but Ash noted that her eyes were shiny. He felt a pang of sadness for what she must have gone through; no doubt she had waited all night for him, and he had never come back…

Something flashed through Pikachu's eyes, there and gone before Ash could identify it. He felt Pikachu draw back a bit, then stop, as if she was indecisive. Then suddenly, without warning she darted forward, and Ash leant back a bit from the sudden determination in her eyes. She hesitated again at that but seemed to regain her confidence and closed the distance, delivering a quick lick to Ash's cheek. She made a last, brief eye contact and Ash detected uncertainty there. Then with a quick push to Ash's shoulders she jumped back and hopped down off the couch.

Ash blinked, finding himself beyond confused. What in the world was that? Pikachu licked him all the time. …Well, not all the time, but she had certainly done it before, and more than once. But this…this had definitely been weird. Ash sat up slowly and gave Pikachu a puzzled look. Sadly she missed it; her concentration was completely on Ash's pokeball. She tensed, and Ash knew her well enough to understand her intentions.

"_Chu!"_ she cried as a large bolt of electricity arced from her to the pokeball. Ash felt an odd sensation as the bolt passed him, and he watched in amazement as a thin bolt leapt from him to join the larger one. Then the combined bolts connected with their target and with the presence of mind he had left, Ash jumped.

A _boom_ sounded behind him, and a rush of air ruffled the fur on his back. He turned to see pieces of the ball scattered over the couch and a sooty stain marking the place it had previously sat. Ash briefly felt sorry of the owners, but then he remembered the pain when he was captured and it vanished.

It was around this time that he noticed that Pikachu was looking at him oddly. He cocked his head questioningly and she hopped toward him, her previous uncertainty apparently forgotten.

_"You're charged,"_ she informed him, and he frowned. _"The electricity in your body has built up too much," _she explained more clearly. _"You have to release it or you could hurt yourself."_

_"But…I barely had any electricity at all this morning…er, yesterday," _Ash protested haltingly. _"Though now that I think of it, the boy hurt himself…today just by touching me." _Pikachu nodded.

_"You probably have the right amount for an adult pikachu,"_ she guessed. _"Maybe you just had to…wake it up? You do seem too charged for a single day, though…" _Ash shrugged.

_"So then how do I…uncharge? Attack something?" _He began casting around for a likely target.

_"Usually yes, but…"_ Pikachu paused. She had heard a noise, a shuffling sound. With all the noise they were making, she had expected someone to be up by now, actually. They should really leave, but she wanted to get Ash out of his dangerous state.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu shook her head at Ash's query. It must have been someone turning over in bed. _"But…?"_

_"Two pikachu can help each other decharge," _she continued, then hesitated again. She was getting the feeling that there was something she was forgetting here, but she couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it didn't have the feeling of danger to it, so after a moment of puzzlement she shook it off.

_"Okay. What do I do?" _Even after the pain and embarrassment the boy had caused him in his capture, Ash wasn't feeling angry enough to intentionally destroy his house. And what with his lack of control over his power, that was a real possibility.

_"Just follow my lead," _Pikachu directed. _"If you need to, you can also fire your electricity straight down to ground yourself,"_ she added as she sidled up beside Ash, _"but that will suck everything out of you. Normally you want to avoid that."_

The end of her speech found her beside Ash, shoulder pressed against his. She leaned toward him, and the embarrassment and uncertainty of the lick suddenly came back to her. She felt her cheeks grow redder, and to avoid his noticing she quickly completed the movement and pressed her cheek firmly against his.

_"Now act like you were attacking something," _she coached. It had been a long time since she had done anything like this, not even with the wild pikachu clan, but she felt sure she could still remember how. It was mostly instinctual anyways. Back in her clan it was usually done between close family members and mates and _oh no._

Pikachu opened her mouth, to say what she wasn't yet sure, but it was too late. Ash had located his inner well of power, and he opened it. Immediately the excess energy leapt through their contact to Pikachu, and she gasped. She definitely hadn't expected _this_ much excess. Ash's power fizzed through her body and it was a good feeling, unlike her own power. Ash's was warm, comforting, but at the same time almost unbearable, like being under a spout of hot water that wasn't _quite_ hot enough to burn. Pikachu shivered, but kept her cheek pressed to Ash's. The power jumped back, and it was Ash's turn to gasp.

She darted a quick glance at him, and saw that his eyes were wide open. Pikachu winced. She had no idea what he was feeling right now, but it was probably extremely strong. If she had realized exactly how much power Ash had she definitely would have found him something to attack, preferably outside.

The basic idea behind the decharging, as far as Pikachu could remember, was to allow the electricity to jump back and forth between the two pokemon until it exhausted itself. Each jump used up energy, so eventually the excess energy would fizzle away into nothing. Pikachu had only done it a number of times when she was young, and it had always been with close family members. She remembered now that it was a very intimate experience, since feeling another's power was about as close as two pikachu could get to each other. And with two unrelated pikachu, especially of the opposite gender it was liable to have other…side effects. As a result of their powers mixing, they might wind up being hyper-sensitive to each other for a short time…and it was most common in unbonded males. Like Ash.

Pikachu squeezed her eyes shut when she felt the electricity jump back to her. As it fizzled through her body again, she could only hope that she hadn't completely destroyed Ash's already unstable balance with his new form.

A few jumps later Pikachu broke away from Ash, shooting the tiny bit of remaining electricity into the carpet. The spark sizzled a bit, but eventually settled and vanished without a trace. Pikachu dared a glance at Ash, who was breathing heavily. She gulped.

_"That was…_" Ash began, but had to breathe. Pikachu cringed. _"Awesome." _Pikachu blinked, and sat up.

"_Really?_" she blurted before she could stop herself. She gave herself a mental slap. _He doesn't need to know how insecure you are about this! Don't give him a reason to question it!_

"_Really,_" Ash reassured her, not seeming to pick up anything from her comment. "_I've never felt anything like that before. It was…well, it was awesome._" He turned wide eyes back to Pikachu. "_Can we do it again?_" Pikachu blinked at him.

"_Er—"_ She was saved by having to answer by a loud gasp from the doorway. As one both pikachu turned to the intruder, and Ash immediately recognized his 'trainer'. His hackles went up in an automatic response that he didn't even notice, and his tail rose. If he had been more in control of his electricity, Pikachu was sure his cheeks would have begun to spark. Pikachu, on the other hand, allowed a bit more than sparks to fall. The carpet acquired a few more black spots.

The boy put his hands in the air and took a step back. Pikachu smiled approvingly. He might not be the smartest cookie, but at least he knew enough to stay away from an angry pokemon. Pikachu took a step closer to Ash to make her point clear, and the boy's eyes widened even more.

"I – I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I didn't mean to…I didn't realize…I'm sorry!"

Pikachu frowned. The boy was actually _apologizing?_ Then she caught herself. Had she gone back to thinking all humans were evil without Ash around? She realized with some shock that she had. A human had hurt Ash, Ash the pikachu, and so for the past day or so all humans had been in her black books. It frightened her to think of what she would do if anyone _really_ hurt Ash…

It was at this point that the boy, noticing Pikachu's unhappy expression, drew attention to himself again.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, backing up even more. Apparently he thought he was the source of her frown. Pikachu blinked out of her reverie. She glanced at the kid, then flicked an ear at Ash and paused by the window. Getting the idea, Ash followed her and jumped awkwardly through the window first. He hopped down the steps, avoiding the glass, and after a moment Pikachu followed. They paused again at the base of the porch, staring at each other. Ash broke the strange silence, clearing his throat.

"_Back to camp?" _he asked softly. Pikachu nodded before turning and hopping off in the direction of the woods. Ash followed haltingly. He was realizing that a pikachu's night vision was much worse than a human's, a fact that he rediscovered many times before they returned to the camp. He was sure he would be covered with bruises in the morning.

(o. o)-/

Ash was warm when he woke. Very warm. Hot, even. Which was odd, considering he distinctly remembered going to sleep outside the night before, and it wasn't summer quite yet.

Ash blinked his eyes open and immediately gave a huge yawn. A quiet involuntary squeak was emitted as he yawned, and his eyes widened as he realized he was still in his pikachu form. Fur was very warm, warm and very comfy…and he was still a little sleepy, actually… His eyes were drifting shut again when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"_Ash?_" Ash's eyes flew open again immediately, only to find that Pikachu's face was much closer than he had expected. He jerked back in surprise, and managed to catch his hind leg in the folds of the sleeping bag they had been resting on. His jump turned into an odd tumbling movement and he ended sprawled on the forest floor in a heap. He sat up slowly, cheeks burning. Perhaps he had more than his fur to thank for being so warm.

_"Are you…okay?"_ Pikachu managed, obviously struggling not to laugh. Ash glared, cheeks burning even more fiercely.

"_You surprised me,_" he muttered, moving his gaze to the grass at his feet. An ant meandering through the huge stalks suddenly became extremely interesting.

"_Sorry,_" Pikachu apologized, humour still evident in her voice. Ash only nodded in response, trying to wait out his annoying blush. Pikachu smiled at the scene, but remembered her original question. "_Ash?"_ she tried again. This time Ash looked up, surprised by the seriousness in her voice. His previous embarrassment was forgotten.

"_What is it?_"

"_We need to move on, today," _she stated. _"We can't stay here."_ Ash sighed.

"_I know. We need more help too. You can't do everything, and it looks like I won't be any help for a while. This whole being a pokemon thing is a lot harder than I thought."_ Pikachu frowned, as if just realizing something.

_"You…Ash, he didn't make you fight, did he?" _Ash looked up and was startled to see anger in his friend's eyes. He quickly shook his head.

_"No, no, nothing like that. He just tried to feed me and I shocked him, that's all," _he reassured her, grinning. To his relief she grinned back. But then a shadow came over his face as he remembered a bit further back. _"I think I get why you hate pokeballs so much though," _he commented, attempting to make it light-hearted. Pikachu frowned and moved forward, concern overriding her newfound skittishness around him.

"_It only hurts the first time,_" she explained as she got closer. Ash nodded.

_"But after that you still have the feeling of…suffocating, or…dying."_ Ash shivered. _"What really happens to us in those things?_" Pikachu nuzzled the side of his neck comfortingly and Ash leant into the contact without noticing.

_"It's alright," _she murmured. _"We come out again none the worse for it. Most pokemon do, anyways. They get used to it, I suppose."_ She paused, and then continued in a very soft voice, "_I won't let them get you again, Ash. Next time I'll be there to protect you."_ Ash laughed, the role reversal was just too amazing. Pikachu's offer to protect him made him realize suddenly how weak he was being about the entire thing. He needed to get used to this, and quick. More important things were at stake.

_"No,"_ he corrected her, leaning away from her comforting touch, _"next time I'll transform before the ball hits me and make _them _faint!"_

Pikachu smiled at her friend's joke, but was more interested in the change that had seemed to come over Ash. In front of her now stood the Ash she knew; confident, determined, and willing to do anything for what he believed in. Pikachu felt relief and joy well up in her, and she knew her eyes were probably doing something strange. She had been worried there for a while, but he was okay, or he would be soon. They were okay, and everything else would naturally fall into place, just like it always did.

_"Anyways,"_ Ash continued, apparently not noticing Pikachu's emotional moment. _"I was thinking we should go back home. Gather the old crowd, you know?"_ Pikachu's eyes brightened at the mention of home and her other friends. It seemed they had been gone forever.

Pikachu gave him another nuzzle, and Ash laughed. Home it was.

**

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****The pain that Ash experienced will be explained a little bit better in the next chapter, as will some other things – it's not quite as bad as it seems. And I'll try to get the next one out quicker… Yay for reviews!**


	8. Rally Point

**Um. I don't think a simple apology will really suffice for a break of that length, but here it is: sorry. Very sorry. I honestly didn't think I'd be back, but I find I can't just let this one go after getting so far. No matter what my opinion of the story/fandom now (oh, the horror! *laughs*), I find I'm determined to finish it. Especially with the amounts of hits it's *still* getting daily (don't you just _love_ then new tracking system?!). Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, especially the ones still trickling in after my horrid lack of updates - they prodded me into continuing. The members of this site continue to astound me with their kindness. I hope this installment pleases.**

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A Different Kind of Soulmate

Chapter 8: Rally Point

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_Crunch. Crunch. …Crunch._

Pikachu listened to Ash's uneven steps on the gravelly road as she watched the scenery pass by. Not that there was much of it. The pair had already made it through Viridian Forest, so now it was just field after field until they hit Pallet Town. The little hamlet really was in the middle of nowhere. Despite the lack of interesting scenery, Ash had no trouble getting distracted, and his random stops and starts made for an uncomfortable ride. No doubt he had many childhood memories tied to these places, but it wasn't as if they'd been gone for years. They had been away for _maybe_ a month. At most.

Pikachu gave a little sigh and rested her head on her paws, which in turn were resting on Ash's head. The boy's movements made her jaw chatter, but she could bear it for a little while. Even that minor annoyance was better than boredom.

They had been traveling for almost a week straight. Due to their experiences with the forested 'short cut' last time through, they had taken the traditional road back to Pallet. Pikachu had definitely had enough of walking. She would force Pidgeot to fly them for their next journey, whatever it took. It wouldn't be too hard, after all birds _did _hate electricity. She would just have to be careful that Ash didn't catch her threatening one of his other pokemon…

Ash. Her trainer had rebounded completely and totally from his capture experience, and was back to being his normal, cheerful and determined self, someone she hadn't seen since before they started climbing the mountain. It seemed the boy had finally accepted his pikachu form and was willing to learn to use it without fighting against it every step of the way. It was a huge weight off Pikachu's heart, even if it had taken her trainer awhile. But that new level of comfort had another issue attached.

Interactions with Ash had been…odd this past week. During the day she was fine, since Ash remained in his human form to travel, claiming it to be faster. When they stopped at night without a center close by, however, he changed. Apparently it was much warmer, or something. Pikachu hadn't really been listening.

And that was part of the problem. Pikachu found that she wasn't hearing most of what Ash said in the evenings. She was too distracted. And she blamed the de-charging fiasco completely and totally. But what really irked her was that Ash seemed to be totally unaffected by the hyper-sensitivity side effect. Only she was affected, and that made it even more awkward.

Luckily Ash, being Ash, hadn't noticed. Yet. Pikachu was sure it was only a matter of time. She knew he wasn't completely dense, contrary to some people's beliefs. He was just…unobservant. And Pikachu was doing her best to hide it. He hadn't even caught her staring, not once.

Yet.

Pikachu covered her eyes with her paws in childish refusal. She would make sure he didn't notice, and soon enough the hyper-sensitivity would fade. She could control herself for at least that long. And even if he had noticed her acting a bit odd at night, she was normal enough during the day. He would probably just pass it off as travel exhaustion.

Right.

"Ash! You're back!" Pikachu uncovered her eyes and lifted her head in interest at the sound. There was a figure running towards them down the long spiraling path to Oak's lab; apparently Ash had covered a lot of ground while Pikachu had been musing. The figure was tall, even from this distance, and was topped with a tuft of unruly and equally unmistakable brown hair: Gary. Pikachu's ride had also noticed the incoming researcher and, with an unenthused look at the stairs, had paused at the bottom of the hill to wait.

"What are you waiting for?" was Gary's first comment upon reaching them. Not waiting for an answer to the obviously rhetorical question, he continued, "Gramps is dying to know what you've been up to! And you'd better make it good, or he'll never listen to me again."

Laughing at Gary's half-serious joke, Ash started up the steps. His former rival immediately began pestering him with questions about his trip, but Ash was able to beg off answering until Oak was there, not wanting to have to tell his partly fabricated story twice. On the way home he and Pikachu had realized that they wouldn't be able to tell their friends everything, and had struggled with what exactly they would say for more than one night. Ash just hoped he would be able to remember everything now.

Getting annoyed herself with Gary's prods for details, Pikachu suddenly leapt off Ash's head and on to Gary's. The brown-haired man let out an awkward yelp on finding the rodent in his hair, and swatted at her instinctively. Pikachu didn't even bother to dodge, only flattened herself in his hair and made herself a nest, resisting all attempts to remove her and cooing happily. Ash had nearly doubled over in laughter by the time the three made it to the lab.

Apparently the lab walls were very thin, because Oak came barreling outside just as they were pushing the doors open. Gary received a smack to the head from the flying door, and the impact finally knocked Pikachu from her perch. Grumbling she sat on his shoulder instead and along with Gary, who was also grumbling and rubbing his head, watched Ash being crushed in a hug by the overeager professor. Suddenly Pikachu was very grateful to be with Gary instead.

"Ash, it's been two months! No calls, no news, except for that one sighting near Lavender…" Ash sighed and extricated himself carefully. Thankfully, the professor seemed to be over the formalities of being worried, and was ready to get down to what was really important. Unfortunately that was even worse. "How did you ever manage to collect sufficient research samples when you forgot to bring all the equipment I gave you?"

Ash sighed again. He could tell this was going to be another of those conversations that never seem to end.

(o^. ^o)

Ash ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair in exasperation as he plodded down the path from the laboratory. The interrogation had gone as interrogations lacking lie detectors usually do; Ash had stuck to the truth as much as possible, but from past experience he knew it was worse to try to evade Oak's questions than to outright lie. Odd, but true. As long as he could keep his story straight in his head he could tell it without hesitation and hopefully without arousing suspicion. And it seemed to have worked this time, for Oak at least hadn't made any obvious attempts to trip up his story.

The good professor did, however, drag him through the dirt for leaving all the equipment behind. At first he was ready to believe Ash's innocence in the matter, but it quickly became apparent that Ash didn't share his rather unique sorrow for the loss of data. After that realization Oak quickly forgot about his original line of questioning, and focused on one more unpleasant but also less dangerous. And Ash, in a brief surge of brain power, was able to derail _that_ tangent by popping in a question related to pokeballs.

According to the professor, the type of reaction both Ash and Pikachu experienced when in contact with the balls was a very rare reaction, almost allergic. There were very few documented cases of it occurring, and even less that have been available for study, so Oak didn't really have all that much to tell him about it, other than the fact that most pokemon did not experience the nasty feeling of suffocation, and were perfectly fine within the balls. Ash, on the other hand, became of even greater interest to the professor when it appeared that he was able to recount the experience, seemingly first hand. Ash brushed it off as Pikachu's explanation, and was eventually able to escape amid the professor's enthusiasm and Gary's laughter.

Unfortunately the discussion had still taken the better part of the day, and it was late afternoon when Ash finally made his escape. He was at a loss to guess where his best friend had disappeared to, only that she had run off after the first hour or so. But he knew from experience that if he wandered the lab grounds long enough, eventually one of his pokemon would spot him, and the commotion they caused would draw all the others.

"Pikapi!" Ash turned his head at the familiar cry, but Pikachu didn't charge at him like usual, instead she remained where she was and pointed at him. Ash tilted his head in confusion, but before he had taken even two steps towards his best friend, a wave of multicoloured creatures overtook her and swarmed over him. Ash was toppled to the ground, and all was chaos and disorientation as the tramplers tried unsuccessfully to locate their hapless target, who had now curled into fetal position on the ground. Finally the pokemon backed away, allowing Ash to uncurl and face his attackers. To his surprise he found that he had actually curled around something, and that something was now making happy squeaking noises. He relaxed his grip, allowing the thing to sit up. It did so, looked him right in the eye, and promptly headbutted him. Ash toppled backwards once again, Cyndaquil leapt on his chest, and the circle closed around him.

Pikachu waited from a safe distance for her trainer to reemerge, knowing that his pokemon needed their time to greet him. She had only collected a few of Ash's many pokemon on Oak's grounds, but those few were apparently still capable of overwhelming Ash with hellos. And the biggest one hadn't even arrived yet.

As if on cue, a roar filled the air, signaling the arrival of the last two. The clump of pokemon surrounding Ash prudently dispersed, leaving Ash alone and confused for a moment. Then the winged shapes descended, and a burst of flame engulfed the poor trainer. Satisfied with his traditional greeting, Charizard plopped down beside his charred trainer and gave him an affectionate nuzzle which Ash was, at the moment, unable to fully appreciate. Pidgeot fluttered down a little ways off with the other pokemon, giving a pleasant chirrup as her only hello.

Seeing that the other pokemon were mostly done, Pikachu hopped forward and gave her trainer a hesitant poke. Ash coughed, but rose and shook himself, regaining most of his normal colour. That done, he turned his gaze to his attackers, mentally checking off all those Pikachu had managed to gather. Charizard and Pidgeot were present, of course, as were Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Noctowl, and…

"Squirtle?" Ash commented, surprised. "Pikachu, how did you manage that one? Wasn't he back with the Squad?" Expecting the question, Pikachu puffed out her chest proudly as she explained her small adventure inside the lab, where she had made use of the professor's distraction in order to commandeer one of the computer terminals and request Squirtle's transfer. The water pokemon had come through surprisingly fast, and they had set out together to track down the rest of Ash's pokemon.

She didn't mean all his pokemon by that, Ash noted to himself. Pikachu had been quite selective in her choices, but Ash had to agree. If he had to reveal his secret, it would be best to keep it within the most trusted pokemon that he had. His oldest pokemon, such as Pidgeot, Charizard, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were a must, and even though he and Pidgeot were on shaky terms after she returned, he still felt he could trust her as much as any of his pokemon. Cyndaquil , Bayleef, and Noctowl, although not quite as old, were still close; and unlike Totodile had enough sense to be reliable.

Having finally sorted the situation out in his mind, Ash was ready to begin. Seeing he already had everyone's attention, he opened his mouth, and was just as surprised as everyone else when nothing came out. Belatedly he realized he had no clue how to start, or even what he was planning to say. After a moment of silence he felt a gentle poke on his leg, and looked down.

"Pikapi, pi pika kachu?" Pikachu suggested quietly, understanding Ash's dilemma and trying to help where she could. She was just thankful it wasn't her job to explain the entire thing.

"Oh, yeah, some privacy would probably be good," Ash agreed, and immediately started walking off towards the edge of the lab property and into the forest. Pikachu hopped along behind, and the rest of the pokemon trailed after the pair bemusedly.

Ash led the assorted group a ways into the trees, and only when he was confident that they would not be overheard or found accidentally did he stop. Then he turned, and the staring contest resumed once more. After a few moments of this, Ash decided he had better just go for the big opening.

"Okay guys, I think the best way to start is to just show you," he explained. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute." And with that he took off deeper into the forest. As one, the pokemon turned to look at Pikachu.

"Chaaa…" she sighed, unwilling to prepare the others for Ash's surprise. Fortunately they got the message and began to chatter amongst themselves, developing their own theories about what Ash was going to show them. Pikachu just plopped herself down on the grass and stared absently about, waiting for Ash to return. Suddenly her wandering gaze encountered a familiar pair of large golden eyes, and she leapt about a foot off the ground in shock.

"_Well, well, if it isn't the little mouse, back again_," the big cat purred. "_You cannot still be singing the praises of your little human after being left here _twice."

"_I was _never_ left here, not that it's any of your business_," Pikachu hissed back, sounding rather like a cat herself. Ash's other pokemon simply watched, too surprised and confused by the existing dynamic between the two to act. "_This is a private gathering. Now will you leave or do I have to use force?_" Pikachu's cheeks sparked in warning, but to her annoyance the cat ignored her.

"_Am I to assume you all share the same trainer?"_ she queried, sweeping her tail in an inclusive gesture and acknowledging the presence of others for the first time. There were a few nods, and the persian seemed to assume general assent. She continued, _"Are you all so blindly in love with him as this foolish pikachu?" _

_"He's our friend!"_ Cyndaquil cried out, her fire flaring up from her back in her excitement. The one-on-one training on the mountain flashed through her mind, and she again felt intense pride that she could finally control her flames. All that was thanks to Ash. The persian gave her a disgusted look and did not deign to respond.

_"Ash is one of the better ones,"_ came the calmer, reasonable voice of Bulbasaur. A few of the others gave their murmured agreements. The persian fixed the grass pokemon with a thoughtful look and sat slowly, tail twitching.

_"Ash,"_ it echoed softly, as if testing the name. _"Ash. He is the champion, is he not? Ah, and of course his little favourite,"_ it added, gaze flicking to Pikachu. _"I understand your obstinacy so much better now. As the favoured pokemon of the entire world, you must live in a world of sunshine and roses. What chance would you have to experience the darkness outside your little gilded cage?"_

_"You know nothing about me,"_ Pikachu spat back, irked at the persian's sudden assumption of her complete innocence. _"Or about Ash, or any of my friends here."_ Pikachu remembered the doubt the persian had sown within her after their first meeting, and the anger she had felt at herself for ever doubting her trainer when she of all pokemon knew better. She let that anger be redirected at the cat now, and felt the electricity dance around her. "_Now _leave."

_"No, let her stay."_ Pikachu blinked at the familiar voice, and at the less familiar shape that hopped quietly out of the trees. She had thought Ash would have the sense to stay away when he heard an unfamiliar voice, but apparently the Master had other ideas. Incredulous gasps broke out from the other pokemon as they connected the familiar voice and scent to a form that was most definitely not human. Silence reigned, and surprisingly not even the persian dared break it. Everyone seemed afraid to move, and no one seemed to have the slightest idea where to begin. Ash sighed and beckoned to Pikachu, who hopped over to his side.

_"I guess I need to explain a bit,"_ he began hesitantly, feeling unnerved by the unrelenting looks of astonishment he was facing. _"Well…we did make it to the top of the mountain like we set out to do, and there was a woman there waiting for us. Or…something. And she told us a story…"_

Ash's tale grew like a rolling snowball, more and more detail finding its way in as the tale progressed, and Ash's confidence growing as the looks of astonishment and incredulity began to fade. Pikachu made occasional contributions to accuracy, but she was uncomfortable with the persian's presence. She had made sure to select only the most trustworthy of Ash's own pokemon, but she wouldn't have bothered had she known the Master was willing to let just any hostile stranger sit in on the meeting. She found herself sending glares at the Persian throughout Ash's talk, hoping she would leave, but to her chagrin the large cat's attention was completely on Ash and she appeared to have totally forgotten the other mouse's existence. As had everyone else, Pikachu noted with amusement.

Finally Ash's explanation dwindled to a close, having covered Celebi's tale and plan, their own failed attempt, and ending with their thoughts on what needed to happen next and a general request for aid. The audience, such as it was, only seemed to truly wake up when Ash tried to skim over his capture and escape. Then they seemed to forget all context of the story and latched on to it for its entertainment value, pestering Ash for details which Pikachu happily provided. Although outright acceptance hadn't been reached, not yet, at least by the time Ash was finished the others seemed conscious again.

There was a long pause after he finished speaking as everything sank in and was digested by the others, but someone had to speak first and unsurprisingly it was the Persian.

"_So let me get this straight_," the cat said in a low, growling purr. _"You journeyed to the top of the highest mountain in the world because of a _dream_, and then when you find this imaginary person she tells you that you have to destroy the current established order because you two are responsible for the coming apocalypse, and you _believed_ her?"_ Ash shifted uncomfortably, and Bulbasaur cleared his throat.

_"She has a point,"_ Bulbasaur agreed, seeming almost reluctant. _"How do you know that woman was telling the truth? It's seems a bit extreme to pin the end of the world on one person's actions, even if that person is you, Ash."_

_"But she didn't say that, not quite,"_ Ash defended. _"It's not that we caused the end of the world, we just managed to mess up earlier attempts to stop it. It's like shoving a stick into a spinning wheel or something, it doesn't require a lot of effort from the stick." _He got a couple startled blinks for that analogy but trundled on. _"Now it's just that Celebi has, you know, run out of wheels, so we have to make a new one."_ Pikachu became the victim of a small coughing fit to cover her laugh, but Ash seemed to have gotten his point across regardless.

_"Alright, so fine, she's got everything right,"_ Squirtle piped up. _"Then what? You want our help on this thing, right?"_

_"So you guys are still with me? You'll help?"_ Ash asked, looking hopeful. Squirtle gave him the victory sign, but it was Noctowl who spoke.

_"No matter what strangeness you manage to get yourself into, we will help you out of it,"_ the owl confirmed, sounding amused. Ash gave the bird a befuddled but grateful look. It seemed he had a lot to learn about the personalities of his own pokemon.

_"You're still our trainer!"_ Cyndaquil cheered and Ash smiled with relief. Until the ground shook.

A jet of flame shot into the sky a second later, and the pokemon cleared a wary circle around Charizard. Upon realizing he was the center of attention, the fiery dragon stopped rampaging and fixed Ash with a serious and challenging stare.

_"I accepted you as my trainer because you proved yourself worthy and strong,"_ Charizard began in a low, rumbling tone that reminded Ash of the beginnings of an avalanche. _"But whatever the shrew might say,"_ and here he threw a scathing look at Cyndaquil, who seemed to sink into herself slightly but flared up anyway, _"you can no longer be my trainer, not as a pokemon. And I will not have a weak leader!"_ The dragon finished with a roar and sent yet another jet of flame into the sky. The pokemon around him backed even farther away. _"I challenge you, Ash,"_ Charizard finished, lowering his head and staring straight at the black-cheeked rodent. 'Don't back down' began playing in Ash's head on repeat, and he fought the urge to glance at Pikachu, who he knew was staring a hole into the back of his head.

_"I accept,"_ Ash said, distantly proud that his voice hadn't gone into a register that only pikachu could hear. The dragon nodded in approval.

_"Five minutes. I will find a spot_." With that Charizard lifted off in a great gust of air that almost sent the two pikachu tumbling, and headed off over the treetops. Both pokemon watched him go in silence for a moment before Ash spoke.

_"You know, maybe bringing Charizard wasn't the best idea,"_ he commented casually, turning to his friend. Pikachu shook her head slowly.

_"No, this had to happen eventually. Maybe it's better that it happens now,"_ she mused. Then she turned serious eyes up to her trainer. _"Ash, you can't win."_ Ash returned her gaze, equally serious.

_"I know."_

No more words were spoken as the two waited for Charizard to pick a spot. No more words were needed. Pikachu knew there was nothing she could say to change Ash's decision, for to back down now would be to give up on their entire mission. But more than that, she understood why he had accepted. To accept and lose was still infinitely better than to refuse outright and give up all claims to courage, to forever forfeit leadership. Although of course, the true reason behind his acceptance lay in the simple fact that he was Ash. And if there was one thing Pikachu was sure of, it was that she knew Ash.

So without speaking they waited what seemed an eternity, staring up at the sky and waiting for Charizard to return.

After about five minutes (relative to the rest of the world) the great dragon made his usual dramatic re-entrance, and the group followed him to a clearing deeper within the woods. Silently Ash and Charizard made their way to the center of the field, and Pikachu forced herself to keep to the sidelines by sitting on her own tail. She didn't trust herself not to do _something_, whether that something proved to be drastic – such as interfering in the middle of the match or even knocking one or both combatants unconscious before it could begin – or slightly less so, such as giving Ash a goodbye lick. Ash's obtuseness on the matter notwithstanding, Pikachu was all too aware of the new meaning the latter action now held, and it was _definitely_ something she did not want others to see and comment on. So she positioned herself between Squirtle and Bulbasaur and prepared herself to just watch.

Ash, meanwhile, was thinking harder and deeper than he ever had in his life. …Well, that was his intention anyways, and just because it wasn't going so well didn't mean he wasn't trying his darndest. He knew he didn't have enough control over his electricity to overpower Charizard like Pikachu could, and he also wasn't nearly as fast as his best friend so a redo of the Vermilion gym battle was out. Those two attributes, in various combinations, had always managed to pull his prime pokemon out of tight spots in the past, but the only attributes he was coming up with for himself were things like 'yellow'.

_Not helpful, Ashy-boy. Try again._

Noctowl, the self-appointed referee, began the countdown, and despite the disturbingly Gary-ish tone his inner voice had developed, Ash continued to come up blank. When the owl gave his final hoot, Ash's brain finally gave a command – _move _– and he leapt in a random direction which, luckily, happened not to be the direction that Charizard had decided to bathe in fire. Safe.

Unfortunately Ash had trained his pokemon well, and Charizard moved quickly, swinging his gigantic tail at Ash next. Ash leapt again, since it had worked out so well for him last time, and ended up clinging to the scaly tail for dear life. Charizard roared in annoyance, thrashing his tail and flapping his wings until Ash finally lost his grip and tumbled off. The stunned black-cheeked chu lay unmoving for a moment, and that was enough time for the huge lizard to grasp him firmly in his talons and take off.

When Ash recovered his senses it was to the realization that he was flying. For a moment he was confused, and then the danger of the situation hit him. And in his panic, his claws scrabbling and his mind firing a lot faster than usual as he watched the ground speed away, he realized something that he possessed that might help him, something that required absolutely no skill on his part at all. He was small. More importantly, he was _light._

From his own experience with throwing various toy pokeballs when he was small, Ash was well acquainted with the fact that light things were considerably harder to throw than heavier things, within reason. In fact, sometimes they just stuck to you and there was nothing you could do about it, like a bit of pidgey down. And relative to Charizard, Ash figured he must not weigh that much more than a bit of pidgey down.

With his newest skewed analogy in mind, Ash reached and dug his tiny claws as far beneath the dragon's scales as he could, angling himself so that all four paws had a reasonable grip. Ash had no doubt that this would hurt, but he suspected it would hurt a lot less than leaving an imprint on the ground. Charizard gripped his prey a bit tighter to stop the squirming, but didn't seem to notice Ash's clinging. With the wind whistling in his ears, Ash located his power source.

The moment of truth arrived, and Charizard thrust his opened claws at the ground while simultaneously flaring his wings to lift up and save himself. But Ash's plan worked, and the still-clinging 'chu of the aching claws provided critically unexpected extra weight. Still, the dragon might have recovered if Ash hadn't sent off a large spark of electricity to frazzle and delay his reaction just when he needed it most. Instead, Charizard plowed into the trees bordering the clearing, Ash using a scaled leg as a shield as twigs whipped everywhere and dirt, grass and leaves flew.

Finally they came to a stop, and Ash wasted no time in getting himself away to a safe distance. He scrabbled up a tree and stopped on a branch, poised to scurry amid the treetops if necessary.

Fortunately Charizard seemed in no mood to continue the fight. He was unable to stand completely in the constricted space, and every movement seemed pained due to the numerous twigs protruding from between his scales. One wing was caught in a tree, and the dragon reduced the tree to embers rather than struggling to get it free. Dirt covered his belly like a second skin. His annoyed gaze sought out Ash, and the pikachu met it unblinkingly.

"You are not strong, but you are still Ash," was Charizard's summary of the battle. The dragon expelled a puff of a smoke in an oddly petulant gesture, but didn't break eye contact with Ash. "You will become strong, and I will be part of your strength."

Ash couldn't stop a wide grin from forming on his face, even as he tried to respond with as much seriousness as he had before. "Welcome back, Charizard." Deeming it safe, Ash dropped back to the ground.

Charizard nodded, appeased, and with a great tearing and cracking of vegetation he freed himself and flew straight up out of the forest. Ash blinked up at the gaping hole the dragon had left in the canopy, not surprised by Charizard's destructive exit but dismayed nonetheless.

"Pikapi!" Ash's ears twitched towards the familiar cry, but he was still in the process of turning to look when the yellow blur collided with him. As with the last time that Pikachu had charged him while he was in this smaller form, the impact knocked him over and he found himself staring up at his friend.

_"You really need to stop doing that," _he noted, but he was grinning helplessly and Pikachu paid it no mind, instead preferring to nuzzle into his fur, cooing. As always, Ash's own happiness grew with his friend's congratulations, but this form gave him a new way of expressing it. The emotion triggered an unconscious response from his new close relationship with electricity, resulting in sparks. Of course the first spark that left his cheek found its home in Pikachu's fur. In an instant she was gone.

"Pikachu?" Startled, Ash sat up slowly, giving his friend an odd look. She hadn't gone far, although she now seemed very determined not to meet his eyes. _"What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing," _was the immediate reply, and Ash didn't think he'd ever seen a more horrible lie. She still wouldn't look at him. _"We should head back to the clearing, the others are probably waiting. Do you know what you're going to say?"_

As puzzled as Ash was, it was obvious he wasn't going to get an explanation out of her right now, and they did have more pressing concerns at the moment. His inability to answer Pikachu's question would be a perfect example of that. Reluctantly he started to walk in the direction of the clearing, following Charizard's trail of wreckage.

_"Not really," _Ash was forced to admit. _"I haven't come up with a new plan since my last one failed so spectacularly. I was hoping someone would have a suggestion."_

"Pikapi," she sighed. Ash glanced at her, and although her eyes remained trained on the flattened grass in front of her, a grin had formed on her face. Ash grinned again himself, feeling his good mood returning now that he knew he hadn't unknowingly caused some sort of irreparable damage.

_"Hey, I haven't heard any ideas from you," _he teased, and his furred friend predictably rewarded him with a light shock. Of course, his new form completely changed the experience, absorbing the additional electricity and using it as a pure energy boost. _Something to remember_, Ash noted to himself as the pair of pikachu made their way back to others. _Whenever I'm tired, all I have to do is annoy Pikachu!_

They made it back quickly, and Ash was immediately tackled by an overexcited Cyndaquil.

_"Cyn is so happy!" _the oversized shrew squealed, burying her long snout in Ash's fur. Moments later she stilled so completely that Ash would've suspected her of falling asleep were it not for the probing nose he could still feel rooting around near his skin. Eventually she drew back and stared at him, eyes wide.

A beat.

_"You smell like poison ivy." _

Ash could only return her stare in silence as explosions of laughter erupted around them.

And just like that, everything was back to normal.

(o^. ^o)-/

The rising sun found Ash and Pikachu travelling once more, albeit at a much sedated pace. Primarily this was Ash's fault, as his hind leg had developed blistering rash overnight and was causing him to limp. But Pikachu also did her part to slow their progress by insisting on resting when Ash would otherwise have plowed on for hours longer. The itching was driving him slowly insane, and Pikachu had to keep nipping him to keep him from scratching himself.

Planning had lasted until nightfall, but some rudimentary decisions had been made. Ash's pokemon had split up into groups, and each group would travel to a different area to do some basic reconnaissance. The Persian had been tasked with watching over things at Oak's, and it was yet to be seen whether she would follow through, though Ash was hopeful. The two pikachu were exempt from observation missions; instead they were heading to the wild pikachu clan, on Ash's suggestion. He knew it would be good for Pikachu to interact with others of her kind, and he hoped to get some much needed training out of the time they spent there. After a few weeks they would meet back in Pallet Town with the other pokemon, and decide what to do from there.

Upon setting out again the next morning, Ash's pack had been even heavier, if possible, than the last time. Distressed by Ash's early departure and her own inability to cook a feast on such short notice, his mother had resorted to dumping the entire kitchen into his bag. No one knew exactly what was in there, but Ash was hopeful that most of it was edible.

But one of the joys of his new form was its mystical ability to make his bag disappear. For logistical and/or magical reasons unknown to Ash, nothing that he was wearing made the transition with him. This meant that (among other conveniences, such as preventing his bag from flattening him and ensuring he never resurfaced naked) he could carry as much as he wanted without actually _carrying_ it. The tradeoff, of course, was remaining in his pokemon form for the duration, but more and more that seemed like an advantage rather than a trial.

Pikachu had expressed concern for the state of the food when it came back – would it spoil wherever it was, would something else eat it – but Ash had always been of the opinion that she thought a bit too much. For himself, the system seemed to work: the food always came back, and he hadn't gotten sick from eating it yet.

Ash paused as Pikachu stopped on the path ahead of him, rising to her hind legs and lifting her ears. After taking advantage of her distraction to get in a good scratch, he followed his friend's example and listened.

"Ssshh, I think they heard us!" A high, frantic sounding voice floated back to him through the trees on his left. Ash turned more fully to face the sound, angling both ears forward. His reward came in the form of more frantic shushing noises from the trees, followed by a much calmer voice.

"It's too late Melanie. They know we're here, but they haven't run. If we can show them we're friendly, they might stay."

Ash froze at the sound of that voice, and he could see Pikachu perk up even more than he'd thought was possible. Ash could only stare at the dark forest, waiting. This was one disadvantage that certainly hadn't occurred to him when planning travel arrangements.

A splutter of indecipherable but excited chatter emerged as 'Melanie's' response to the statement, but she was quickly hushed. There was some crunching and snapping, and then a very familiar figure stepped out of the trees.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried ecstatically, leaping forward. Ash acted instantly.

"Pi!" Ash countered, darting in front of her. They engaged in a brief staring contest. Pikachu's ears drew back, but eventually she backed down, recalling the need for secrecy.

But the damage had been done.

"Pikachu?" Brock said in disbelief. Immediately Pikachu perked back up. She silently pled with Ash for permission, and faced with inevitability Ash could only sigh in defeat.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu exulted, flying over the drooping figure of her best friend and into Brock's arms. Laughing and cooing, they shared a happy reunion while Ash looked on. He was the only one who noticed when the second figure emerged from the forest.

Ash couldn't prevent a quiet 'chu' of surprise from escaping when he recognized the second figure. She was, without a doubt, the trainer that he and Pikachu had encountered in Viridian Forest while on their way to the mountain: the bulbasaur trainer with the uncontrollable rhydon. At least with Brock around, that particular pokemon was no longer a threat. Said unthreatening trainer was now staring at Brock with wide eyes.

"You _know_ this pikachu?" she said, to which Brock gave a cheerful nod.

"Yeah, it belongs to one of my best friends," he confirmed, looking at Pikachu fondly. "I haven't seen him for a while, but I would still count him among the most important people in my life. He and his pikachu are inseparable, like nothing I've seen before or since. Which makes me wonder…"

While Brock looked around expectantly, perhaps waiting for Ash to pop out of the bushes at any moment, furry Ash could only blink at him. A lot of information was tumbling into his head, things he really should have realized and considered before. If they and the other pokemon succeeded in this, what would happen to Brock and the other gym leaders? If being the Master was an automatic death sentence, what did being a gym leader mean?

Ash had a very strong urge to transform, right there and now, and tell his friend everything. He suspected that the presence of the girl, Melanie, was the only thing that stopped him. His sudden fear for his friends was almost overwhelming, but at least he was now aware of the need to protect them, somehow.

While Ash was mulling over the epic question of What To Do, the two humans present continued to discuss him. Brock had passed Pikachu to Melanie, who proceeded to shower Pikachu with affection while the pokemon struggled to keep her electricity in check.

"Maybe it's lost," Melanie guessed, ruffling Pikachu's ears. The mouse's eyes narrowed into obsidian slits.

"Er, here, let me," Brock said, retrieving Pikachu from the excited girl. "Pikachu's never been a very affectionate pokemon, and it needs a bit of time to warm up to you. It used to shock strangers pretty badly for touching it."

"Oh." Despite the note of disappointment in her voice, Melanie looked more insulted than anything, and seemed ready to snatch the electric mouse back at the first opportunity. "Well, where does its trainer live? Maybe we can return it."

"Officially, Ash lives in Pallet Town, but it's anyone's guess if he's there right now. He travels a lot."

"Ash?" The girl seemed to fade where she was standing, withdrawing into herself so much that she actually looked shorter. "You mean Ash, the Pokemon Master?"

"It still feels strange to hear him called that," Brock laughed, still watching Pikachu. "But yes, the one and only."

"Oh." Her voice was almost a whisper. "Maybe we should just let them be then…after all, the Master's pikachu can take care of itself…"

"There's always Team Rocket to look out for," Brock joked, mostly to his audience of pokemon. "Maybe we can escort them to wherever they're headed. At least until Ash shows up, and that shouldn't be long. It'll be a great experience for you, meeting Ash. You could learn a lot from him." Still smiling, Brock placed Pikachu back on the ground and stepped back to give her space.

"So Pikachu, tell us; where are you headed?"

Pikachu thought for a moment and then pointed up the road. Brock launched in a list of all the towns and cities in that general direction, and after a while Pikachu shook her head in frustration. She cast around for props of some sort, but the road was barren of everything but dust and pebbles.

"Pi, pika pika chu…" Pikachu whirled at the soft voice behind her. _The song! Of course!_

"Pika!" she cried joyfully, bounding to her best friend's side before joining him in the moon song, the family song, the wish song.

"Pipi, ka pikachuuu…"

The two pikachu trailed off together, fading to silence. Though the song was meant to be sung under moonlight, singing it with Ash had felt so immensely _right_ that the time and even location had become irrelevant. Ignoring the gaping Brock and Melanie (who had become a bit more solid), Pikachu turned to Ash.

"_You remembered," _she breathed, fearing that speaking any louder would break the something fragile in the air. She was filled almost to bursting with an emotion that she couldn't name, and she was forgetting to breathe. She had no idea why the song was so important to her, but she felt like something momentous – something changing – had happened. She _needed_ Ash to acknowledge that, be okay with it, somehow.

"_Yeah." _

And he smiled.

It wasn't much; in fact it was almost nothing. But somehow, it was enough. It filled the last free part of her, and she knew she had stopped breathing but couldn't seem to care. She stared into Ash's eyes and he stared back and she knew that something similar was happening to him – not consciously, no, never consciously with Ash – but something all the same and she knew that there was no going back after this, not for her, although she wasn't sure where she was going or what she would've gone back to.

And he smiled.

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**Enjoyed it? Review! Be my OOC alarm. ;D**

**And I do have the next 8,000 words or so already written...though that chapter is simply refusing to end. Two parts, perhaps. Regardless, it shouldn't take another year. **


	9. Wish Pt1

**Well, as expected, Ch.9 has grown to epic proportions, so this is only the first part. The second half is giving me some trouble, mainly due to the number of OCs it has to involve. I'm still struggling with it, the kind of struggling that involves possibly scrapping the entire thing and rewriting in a new direction. .**

**In the mean time, I figured I had better post the first 9,000 words or so, at least. I quite enjoyed writing it – hopefully you'll enjoy reading it just as much! As always, thank you for all the lovely reviews – sometimes all it takes is someone showing an interest to get me writing again. :)**

"_**Pokemon speak"**_

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 9(a): Wish_

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Ash stared into the crackling flames, in the grip of some serious déjà vu. During his last encounter with the wild pikachu clan he had spent much of his time staring into flames, and it seemed that history was doomed to repeat itself.

Now as before, the fall occurred gradually, and at first he was content to stare at the flickering, dancing tendrils of flame, the flayed tips that constantly lost themselves to the void of invisible air and were built up again, a little different each time. His mind was blank, observing the frolicking of the flames without judging. He basked in the warmth of the fire, content.

But inevitably he was drawn deeper into the fire, into the wind-tossed heart of embers from which the images would inevitably appear. This time was different from last; this time Pikachu was curled up at his side, the heat of her body providing a comforting backdrop to the scorching fire. This time Brock was here, but not Misty. This time, for all intents and purposes, Ash was not here either.

Despite the differences between now and then, the fire still succeeded in drawing out the fears hidden in the back of his mind. He watched as a flame-bordered clearing filled with yellow pokemon, apparently celebrating something, and recognized his own black-cheeked visage among them. He watched as Brock and Melanie looked on from the fringe of the trees, looking both happy and sad, although longing was plain on Melanie's face. He saw himself standing beside them with an expression of stony determination that he assumed he must have worn when trying to abandon Pikachu years ago. He watched himself turn away from the celebrating pokemon and walk off into the trees, Brock and Melanie following until they all faded into the darkness at the heart of the fire. The pikachu continued their party until they too faded into the flames, the black-cheeked chu among them.

_"It's best for Pikachu to be with others of her kind…"_

_"This ability is only temporary…you'll have to settle…"_

His own words from long ago and half-forgotten comments from the Mistress swirled around his head. What would happen when this was all over? His initial reaction notwithstanding (and he resolved to apologize to Pikachu about that at the soonest opportunity), Ash was enjoying being a pikachu. It was like a whole new world had opened up to him, filled with new friends to make, new cultures to experience, a whole new set of skills to master; a totally new way to see the world. If it weren't for their newest 'task', Ash would enjoy it immensely. As it was, he was stuck with taking the crash course.

It was also obvious how much his new ability meant to Pikachu. When she wasn't behaving oddly – and yes, he _had_ noticed, although he was still a long way from even guessing at a cause – she positively sparkled. She delighted in teaching him the skills that he himself had taught her years before in a more roundabout way. She glowed with pride whenever he succeeded, though she also shocked him even more than usual and seemed to revel in the fact that he no longer offered even a token 'ow'. This one unnerved Ash slightly, as he knew the shocks were stronger than any he had received as a human – at least in the last few years – and he worried that she might slip up when he shifted to human. She also seemed to be content only when she was in contact with him in some way – which actually wasn't all that different from before. Ash supposed he was only noticing it more now that their sizes were more comparable.

Regardless, Pikachu would not take it well when he lost his second form. She grew more used to it every day. He could slow that down by remaining in human form longer, but would only end up hurting her more. As painful as it was, he would have to talk to her and make sure she understood that it was only temporary; that eventually, he would lose his second form and in a way, abandon her. Even though that loss might be something she wouldn'trecover from.

Voices from the other side of the campfire drew Ash's attention away from his own worries, and he tried his best to push them to the back of his mind. When the time came to talk to her he would, but that time wasn't now and didn't even have to be soon.

"So who do you think that second pikachu is then?" Melanie was saying, her voice quiet but still perfectly audible to a creature with such huge ears. "With those black cheeks…"

Ash rubbed his cheek with a paw absently as he listened. Melanie and Brock were lying in sleeping bags across the fire from the two pokemon. In lieu of a third sleeping bag which Ash certainly couldn't provide (what would happen to all his _food_?!), Brock had attempted to create a nest of sorts out of his pack and whatever soft things were inside. It actually wasn't too bad as long as neither of the occupants disrupted the bag's shifty balance, but Ash was still rooting for the plan where he pretended to find his sleeping bag in the forest. Likewise for the food. Alas, Pikachu's rationality had (for the moment) triumphed."I'm not sure, but I think I can guess," Brock said. "The two seem to be pretty close. I didn't think it was possible for Pikachu, honestly, but their connection is too obvious to deny. That in itself is incredible. Now Ash sends the two of them to this forest, a natural habitat for pikachu but totally isolated from humans; somewhere he knows Pikachu and its friend will be welcome. He seems to be encouraging Pikachu –"

"Oh!" Melanie interrupted. "Do you think – if it works, that is – do you think – maybe – he might let me have one?" There was a rustling noise, and Ash saw Melanie's head poke up above the fire.

"Ssh, you'll wake them," Brock said, but he was chuckling. "And I think that would be more Pikachu's decision than Ash's…or even their own!"

"Even better!" Melanie said, showing no sign of quieting down. "Just think…becoming the Master would be a cinch if I had one of those!" A fist rose above the fire to hang in the air briefly beside the head.

"Melanie," Brock said, his voice becoming even softer in what seemed an odd attempt to balance out the girl, "there's a lot more to becoming the Master than having good pokemon, you should know that."

"I know, I know." The fist transformed into a flapping hand and then disappeared. "But all the rest of that stuff won't do you a whit of good without them, will it?"

"Not true." Brock started his defense, but it was not to be. "Ash –"

"Look me in the eye and tell me you think his pikachu's not something special." A beat. "Hah."

"But if Ash hadn't been able to forge a close bond with it and gain its trust, whether it was special or not wouldn't have mattered. It hated him at the beginning, you know – hated people in general, really."

Silence followed that piece of information, interrupted only by the crackling of the fire. Ash let his bafflement simmer and tried to enjoy the sound of the fire. He was sure he had missed at least half of that conversation, and he just hoped it hadn't been important. Inevitably Melanie's voice broke the quiet.

"But why would –"

"Chuuu_uuu_…!"

Ash jerked; how long had Pikachu been awake for? However, she remained silent and motionless after her outburst, and Ash was left doubting whether she was awake at all. There was a thump from the other side of the campfire, then silence; Ash could no longer make out Melanie's head. Whatever its source, Pikachu's cry had succeeded in halting conversation for the rest of the night.

Ash sighed and let his head fall to his paws. The unrelenting brightness of the fire coaxed his eyes closed and the crackling lulled him to sleep. If he dreamed, none of it survived the light of morning.

(o^. ^o)

_"Chu!" _

Ash watched with satisfaction as the leaf he was aiming for fell to the ground. The fact that it brought the entire branch with it was just a slight glitch. So his aim was a little off; that was pretty minor compared with his ability to produce electricity on demand. And so his control was a little flaky; he could still _definitely _fry anything that dared to get in his way! He had pika power!

"Pi kachu!" he cheered, waving his branch in the air and doing a little dance. Even though Brock had thoughtfully given him a lotion for his rash the night before, Ash's itching had him up early that morning. Not wanting to disturb Pikachu, he had headed off a ways into the woods and began to practice. Thankfully the itching had calmed down quite a bit since he'd gotten up, and he barely noticed it anymore.

Glancing up at the sky, Ash noticed it was getting close to noon. His companions would be up soon, if they weren't already, and Ash didn't want Pikachu to worry. He made his way back to the campsite.

Brock was the only one up to notice his arrival – or absence. The pokemon breeder was fussing with the pots and pans, presumably trying to prepare breakfast. The other two were still asleep, and Pikachu was now curled up into a tiny ball in the center of their pack-nest. After a moment's hesitation, Ash leapt up to Brock's shoulder, causing the breeder to jump.

"Oh, hello," Brock said once he had regained his breath. "I didn't know you were back. How's that rash?"

"Pika pika!" Ash cheered, and got a smile for his efforts. Brock turned back his cooking equipment.

"I guess you want breakfast, right?" Ash nodded enthusiastically, and Brock dug around a bit before producing a brown bag and a bowl. He placed the latter on the ground and proceeded to pour many small brown lumps into it. Ash jumped off Brock's shoulder and stared at them.

"It's my own special pikachu recipe," the breeder explained. "I perfected it years ago…"

The rest of Brock's story fell on deaf ears, as Ash had already snatched a piece and was munching happily. He'd always been curious about what the food tasted like after seeing Pikachu enjoy them so much, but Brock's many assurances that it would taste horrible to a human had eventually turned him against the idea. As a pikachu though, they were delicious, like a mix between honey and fruit and something else he couldn't name.

"Glad you like it," Brock chuckled from somewhere far above his head. "Try to save some for Pikachu. Actually, could you go wake them up when you're done? We should get moving soon."

Ash nodded and polished off one last brown nugget of goodness before hopping over to Brock's pack. Pikachu was still dozing inside, her side rising and falling gently with each breath. Ash paused, just watching her. From this distance he could see the individual hairs on her shoulder rustle with his breath, and how the stripes on her back got distorted a bit when she breathed deeply. She uncurled a little in her sleep, bringing her head closer to his.

Without thinking about it consciously, Ash dipped his own head and gave her a brief lick on her forehead. She cooed softly in her sleep, and he smiled. After a few beats Ash felt someone watching him and drew back immediately, inexplicably embarrassed. He met Brock's gaze across the empty fire pit blushed at the thoughtful, knowing look in the other's eyes. Brock smiled at him, then turned back to his breakfast preparations.

Ash blinked after him for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. Predictably he soon gave up and turned back to Pikachu. This time a completely different idea occurred to him, and an evil smile spread across his face.

"Pikaaaaa…._chu!"_

The electricity scored a direct hit for once, and Pikachu leapt a good foot in the air. But she wasn't the Master's top fighter for nothing, and she had fired off a retaliatory thunderbolt as soon as she became airborne. Luckily for Ash, he had expected this and was moving as soon as the electricity left him. Pikachu's attack did nothing worse than leave an ugly scorch mark in the ground.

Pikachu was awake. Really, _really _awake – and instantaneously so, so that the very pleasant dream she'd been having didn't have a chance of being remembered. She felt as if she could fly – would, if given half a chance. Energy coursed through her body, and she felt kind of tingly all over.

Confused and hyper, she cast around for a possible reason. Brock was busy with breakfast, and was acting like nothing unusual had happened, although she did catch him glancing over his shoulder. Melanie was still asleep. And Ash…was hiding behind Brock's pack, giving her a very strange look. She realized her eyes were probably a lot wider than they should have been.

_"Whaappened?"_ Pikachu asked, trying to lower her eyelids to a reasonable level. Despite the speed of the question, Ash seemed to understand.

_"I…tried to shock you to wake you up. Like payback, kinda."_ Inwardly Ash grimaced; the act of explaining a prank always made it seem mean and childish. Thankfully Pikachu didn't seem to care, and her eyes grew impossibly wide.

"Chuuuuu…"Pikachu's gaze wandered off, presumably thinking. Silence reigned for a while, interrupted only by the various kitchen-y noises of Brock's activities.

_"Okay." _ And with that obscure statement, Pikachu took off into the trees.

Ash blinked after her for a moment, stunned, then followed as fast as he could. But try as he might, he couldn't match her speed. She was a blur through the trees, and Ash soon lost sight of her. He kept running in the same direction, hoping to catch her eventually, until a cry stopped him in his tracks.

"_Chhuuuu!!" _came the unmistakable sound of his friend attacking something, followed immediately by the appearance of a pillar of light above the treetops. Within seconds it flickered away and died, but the air was stilled filled with various exclamations from the forest's inhabitants and the birds that could still fly were quickly vacating the area_._

Moments later Pikachu bounded out of the trees.

"_I'm okay now," _she said. Run slightly past, pause, turn. _"You probably shouldn't do that again. Unless, you know, I need it."_

With that confusing advice, Pikachu took off back towards the campsite. After a few moments of befuddled silence, Ash followed.

When he made it back to camp he found Pikachu hunched over the bowl of Brock's pokefood, devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days.

_"Is it really that good?"_ Ash said, amused. His only response was a muffled squeak. He waited for her to calm down some, and then attempted to clarify the recent events. _"So what happened back there?"_

_"'M not sho how,"_ Pikachu said between mouthfuls, the words coming out a bit garbled as a result, _"bu I think I 'sorbed all 'e energy 'rom yo' atta." _ She swallowed. _"I was already at full power from resting, so I got overcharged. I had to get rid of some of it or…something bad would've happened."_

_"Like what?" _Pikachu munched on another kibble as she considered.

_"_Pi-ika_. I've never heard of anyone letting it get that bad." _ She shrugged. _"Explode, maybe."_ Ash's eyes bugged.

_"_Explode_?!" _

"Chu._ That's what it felt like."_

Ash stared at her, wide-eyed. So that's why she told him not to do it again – unless she needed it. Which meant when she was low on energy, he supposed. But what if he gave her too much? Pikachu continued to munch, unconcerned.

_"Do you think that would work for me too?" _Ash asked, another aspect having occurred to him. Pikachu looked at him sideways.

_"Maybe. Probably. These things usually work both ways."_

_"Wait, so you know what this is?"_

"Ka. _Not really. We can ask the wild pikachu about it though."_

"Okay guys, breakfast's over," Brock declared as he interrupted their conversation to snatch the empty bowl from under Pikachu's nose. "It's time to head out!"

"Pika pi pikachu?" Ash asked automatically, before realizing Brock couldn't understand him. Pikachu laughed, but was slowly realizing how annoying it was not to have a human representative.

Brock smiled at him and scratched his head, then slung his pack over his shoulder and began to march down the trail. Melanie, apparently fed as well, fell into step behind him. After a moment the two pikachu followed suit.

Around midday the group encountered an important split in the path; one route led onward to Cerulean and Melanie's second badge, while the other diverged towards Celadon and, eventually, the forest of the wild pikachu.

After some discussion the two-leggeds decided to split up. Melanie would continue on her own towards Cerulean City while Brock would 'visit Misty later' and escort the pikachu to the forest in the hopes of seeing Ash or, failing that, simply spend more time with Pikachu and her new friend. Brock gave Melanie a fond farewell, and after she had departed the two pikachu were treated to the tale of her gym battle and various dissertations on her ability as a trainer.

"She's not too bad for a beginner," Brock was saying as they rounded a corner, blocking the crossroads from view. Ash was learning the fine art of shoulder riding, while Pikachu walked on the path beside them. "Bossy and a bit careless at times, and she doesn't take criticism well, but she's determined. And we both know how far sheer determination can get you," Brock concluded, sharing a joking glance with Pikachu, who laughed. Ash grumbled and drove his claws more firmly into his friend's shoulder.

"She does have a good relationship with her bulbasaur," the breeder continued undeterred. "More than anything else, that was what got them through their battle with the gym's onix. They almost remind me of you and Ash, though of course you two were much closer even at that stage, despite Ash's lack of strategy and common sense."

_"And of course no bulbasaur could hope to match Pikachu's anger issues back then,"_ Ash added, aware that only half his audience would understand him, but needing to poke fun at someone other than himself.

A moment later Ash was on the ground next to Pikachu, laughing, and Brock was a smoking heap in the middle of the road. But it seemed failing to hit her target had annoyed Pikachu, since she still looked angry. Still chuckling to himself, Ash sat up and smiled at her.

_"We deserved each other," _he said, and after a moment she smiled back. Maybe his jab had struck a nerve; he'd have to be more careful in the future.

"Um, hello?"

Ash and Pikachu turned as one towards the source of the voice, and found a young boy standing by the side of the road in front of them. His mop of brown hair was in disarray and his jeans and t-shirt looked ragged and dirty, but he had a small smile on his face.

"Pi, pika!" Ash called, waving. Belatedly he realized yet again that he wouldn't be understood, but he tried not to let his friendly expression waver.

"Er, hi," Brock said, still attempting recover from his brush with Pikachu's electricity. He took a swipe at a sooty spot on his pants. "Did you, uh, just come out of the forest?"

"Uh, yeah," the kid replied, obviously not encouraged by Brock's less-than-stellar greeting, but plowing gamely ahead. "I was trying to catch some more pokemon and train for the Cerulean Gym, actually. Uh, are you a trainer?"

"Oh, uh, actually…" Brock paused to look at Ash, who was tugging on his pant leg and nodding eagerly. After a moment, the breeder seemed to understand. "Uh, yes, yes I am. Do you want to battle?" Relief washed over the younger's face.

"Yes, very much, if you wouldn't mind. But…" and here his face fell slightly, "I can only use two pokemon right now…if that's okay…?" Brock nodded, ignoring Ash's mini celebration at his feet.

"That's fine. It would probably be best if I only used this pikachu." Brock waved a hand at Ash, who couldn't decide whether to be insulted or agree.

"Great," the boy grinned brightly. "Well, I guess we don't have a referee, so…go, Spearow!"

The bird materialized in the air, already flapping and ready to go, letting loose a piercing screech. Ash was frozen for a moment while he and Pikachu just stared at the bird. Pikachu's first battle (if you could call it that) had also been with a spearow…

"Uh, well," Brock fumbled, "…Ashes, I guess you're up." Ash stared at the breeder in amazement, but there was no doubt about who Brock meant. With one last suspicious glance at Brock, Ash stepped forward into the battle field. However, Pikachu intercepted him.

_"You sure you're ready for this, _Pikapi_?" _she questioned, but before he could even open his mouth to reply, she smiled and answered herself. "Pii_, stupid question, I know. But I'll help you anyway. Fighting is a lot different from giving orders. For now, just remember that speed is your best friend. And, um…watch out for the beak _and _the talons. Both are very sharp." _She leant in to give him a quick nuzzle, a whispered 'good luck', and then backed away.

Ash swallowed and turned to the spearow. The other pokemon had landed, and was now fixing him with a one-eyed look that made Ash feel distinctly like food. He glared back and allowed a few sparks to shoot from his cheeks. The spearow merely clacked its beak, unimpressed.

"Okay Spearow, let's start with Peck!"

The bird obliged, but not with the aerial strike Ash had anticipated. Instead it shot forward doduo-style, propelling itself across the earth with its strong legs and sharp claws. Slowed by his surprise, Ash rolled a moment too late, and the bird was able to catch his tail.

_"_Pikapi_, now!"_

"Ashes, Thundershock!"

Without even turning to look at the spearow, Ash summoned his electricity and funneled it backwards, towards his tail. He heard a satisfying squawk from behind him, but the other pokemon was able to shake off the shock and return to the air. Ash turned to face the gliding bird and waited, electricity still crackling around him.

"Good job, Spearow! Now try Fury Attack!"

"Ashes, Quick Attack!"

_Quick Attack?_ Ash though, eyes widening in horror. He had been so focused on his electricity that he hadn't even tried to use physical attacks. _Stupid! _ _Of course there's more to Pikachu's fighting than just electricity!_

_"_Pikapi, _it's okay!" _came the voice of his saviour. _"Use your electric energy to push yourself forward and just run! If you move fast enough, he won't be able to hit you!"_

Ash nodded and took a moment to focus on his electricity, trying to ignore the spearow bearing down on him. He tried to imagine it fueling his jump and leapt forward, praying to Ho-Oh that he was doing it right.

He ran pretty much at random at first, but after a few moments had passed and he still hadn't been hit, his confidence began to return and he began to pay more attention to his surroundings. To his alarm he discovered the spearow was almost on his tail, and he dodged towards a bump in the ground, using it as leverage to do a sharp u-turn. Ash glanced back to see the spearow flapping ungainly in an attempt to turn, but even more surprising was the trail of light Ash seemed to be leaving in his wake.

"Okay Spearow, that's enough! Give it a taste of Aerial Ace!"

With a sinking feeling Ash realized his dodging was over, and instead he planted his feet to meet it head on. Although he had seen his own pokemon take this sort of stand many times before, his own experience with projectiles tended to be along the lines of running to intercept them. Standing still and waiting to be hit was very different, and required a much more focused and deliberate kind of courage.

"Ashes, thundershock!"

Ash reached for his electricity, but before he could put it to use the spearow struck him. The pain was startling, and Ash was sent flying from the force of the attack. But even in his new form, his reflexes were good. He twisted cat-like in midair, righting himself with all four feet pointing to the ground, and obeyed Brock's command.

"Pika-chuuuuu!"

"Speeeeeerrrr!"

Ash landed lightly on his feet at the same moment his opponent crashed to earth in a flutter of feathers. It didn't rise.

"Spearow, return!" its trainer called, and the pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light. "Spearow, you put up a great fight."

Ash was caught for a moment in the strangeness of witnessing this familiar ritual from such a different perspective, but a familiar call soon brought him back. He turned around to see Pikachu cheering at him from the sidelines, and he flashed the victory sign at her. If he had been paying attention, Ash would've seen Brock frowning.

"Alright Voltorb, you're up!" Ash turned at the other trainer's cry, and found the red and white pokemon materializing on the field. While examining the pokemon to get a feel for its level, Ash was struck with a sudden idea.

"_Hey buddy, you want to take this one?" _he suggested, swiveling around to look at Pikachu.

Pikachu gave him a puzzled look, but as usual decided to go along with whatever idea had popped into his head this time. She took to the field, trading spots with Ash. Neither of them noticed Brock's silence.

"_Don't knock it out, okay Pikachu?"_ Ash cautioned. _"I want to try out your shield." _

Pikachu glanced back and nodded in vague understanding, trusting her friend to give her more detailed instructions when the time came. She understood what his intention was, but she still didn't see how he planned to do it.

"Voltorb, Tackle!"

"_Pikachu, dodge it and use Quick Attack!" _

Easily falling back into her normal role, Pikachu deftly sidestepped the other electric type and retaliated with her own lightning-fast attack. She sent the voltorb flying back towards its trainer but recovered easily from the near-collision herself, twisting in midair to land lightly in front of Ash. She noticed the other trainer looking from Brock to Ash in confusion, but she didn't spare it further thought. Instead she focused on keeping herself alert, tilting her ears backward to catch Ash's next command.

But Ash remained silent for the moment, and Pikachu watched as the voltorb slowly rolled upright, muttering to itself in its crackling tongue.

"Alright Voltorb, great job!" its trainer cheered. "Now Sonic Boom!"

"_Use Iron Tail to send it straight back!"_

"Chu-pika!" Pikachu cried, swinging her glowing tail at a precisely calculated strength and direction to exactly reflect the energy wave. The voltorb, completely unsuspecting, was hit head on.

"Voltorb!" the brunette cried. With painstaking slowness, his voltorb rolled up.

"Volll…torb…" it panted. The boy's expression turned grim, and suddenly Pikachu realized what Ash had intended all along.

"Voltorb, use Self-Destruct!" The electric pokemon closed its eyes, trembled a bit, and then began to glow.

"Pi?" Pikachu questioned, glancing back at Ash to confirm. Her friend nodded, his eyes bright with excitement.

"_Do it, Pikachu!"_

Although she knew what Ash wanted her to attempt, they hadn't had much opportunity to practice it yet so she was going to have to improvise. By the looks of the voltorb, she had a fair amount of time to experiment before it built up enough power to explode. She shot two thunderbolts up into the air in quick succession in an attempt to split her own electricity, but the first bolt fizzled into non-existance the instant she cut off power to it in order to release the second. It wasn't a question of speed; electricity just didn't work that way. She risked a glance at the voltorb.

"Pika!" she shouted in alarm. It was glowing brighter than she had expected, and she was running out of time. She knew she could take whatever the other pokemon could throw at her, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt.

"_Pikachu! At me!"_

Pikachu barely had time to register this command before an arc of electricity came soaring her way. With a cry she shot her own bolt back, and the two streams of electricity collided in midair. But instead of destroying each other they merged, and a glowing blue light flowed back along both ends to pool around the two pikachu. Ash and Pikachu locked eyes through the blue walls of their shields, both wearing identical expressions of triumph as they continued to pour power into the connection.

A boom echoed through the air, and Pikachu closed her eyes against the dust that would never touch her. When she opened them again she found herself staring into Ash's black eyes again, still covered by a film of blue. After a moment she understood the expression of determination she saw there, and nodded. Ash twitched his tail three times, and on the third time they both cut off the stream of power. Instantly the bolts reformed and struck their initial targets, but it was definitely not a normal bolt. Instead of resisting, Pikachu's body accepted the electricity as its own, and Pikachu realized her energy levels had returned to their pre-shield state. She shared a surprised glance with Ash, who seemed to be experiencing much the same thing.

Only then did she turn to the other observers, and found both humans staring at them in awe. The young trainer's voltorb was unconscious near his feet, dusty and battered. Almost absent-mindedly the boy recalled it.

"What _was _that?" he whispered, but in the silence the small sound carried.

"Pika–" Ash started and then stopped, a look of annoyance crossing his face. Pikachu only sighed.

"I honestly have no idea," Brock replied instead. "These pikachu don't actually belong to me – I'm just taking care of them for a friend. He must have been working on that with them…" Brock trailed off, glancing between Ash and Pikachu with a look that made Pikachu feel distinctly guilty even though she didn't know why.

"Well, whatever it was, it was amazing," the kid said, still with that awed tone. "What's your friend's name?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know him," Brock shrugged.

"If you say so," the boy said, giving him a suspicious look. "Well, I guess I should head back to Cerulean then. Thanks for the battle." With a wave, the bedraggled preteen departed.

After waving back, Brock turned to the two pikachu, who were both crouched in oddly defensive positions. Brock smiled at them.

"I think there's a Pokemon Center not too far down this road," the breeder said. "If we start now we can probably make it before dark. How about it?" A strange pregnant silence followed, and Pikachu found herself reluctant to break it.

"Chu," muttered Ash finally, and the breeder took this as agreement and started off down the road. By silent agreement Pikachu and Ash kept off the shoulders and trailed behind Brock in silence as the light of the sun faded and the shadows grew.

(o^. ^o)-/

Brock closed the door to his room for the night, hoping the two pikachu contained within wouldn't resort to anything as drastic as attempting to escape. Rolling his shoulders to relieve a day's worth of backpacking tension, the breeder made his way back to the Pokemon Center's lobby. Fortunately the video-phone was free, but then it was only early evening; most people were likely out having dinner.

He lifted the headset to his ear and waited patiently for the screen to flicker to life and signal that it was ready. When the familiar message finally appeared Brock quickly entered the lab's number from memory, and proceeded to wait some more as the phone went through at least four rings.

"Hello?" the eventual answer came through, and a harassed looking Gary appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Gary," Brock smiled. Gary coughed and stood up a bit straighter, trying to regain his usual poise.

"Brock. Well, what a rare pleasure."

Brock frowned slightly at that, but let it pass. Just because Gary had regained his friendship with Ash didn't mean he had completely lost his old personality. The egotistical researcher could still be grating at times, especially when he didn't feel obligated to maintain his usual façade of charming politeness. Still, Brock got the feeling there was more to this particular comment, and he felt a brush of guilt for remaining so distant from Ash the last few years.

"Yes, well, I just wanted to know if Ash was around," Brock tried. "I was thinking of dropping by." Immediately Brock realized this was the wrong thing to say as Gary's whole demeanor sharpened.

"Why didn't you call his house then?" Gary asked with narrowed eyes. Brock tried to keep his pause to a minimum.

"It's dinner time – I didn't want to interrupt him and his mother if they were eating."

"And you know us researchers don't live like normal people," Gary concluded, laughing. His laughter had a slightly mocking edge, but when Gary followed it with a sigh Brock concluded the researcher was also willing to let things pass.

"You just missed him, actually. He and Pikachu left a few days ago."

"Do you know where they were headed?" Brock pressed.

"He said he was going to visit a clan of wild pikachu, but who knows where Ashy-boy will actually end up," Gary chuckled. Brock smiled, but knew there was no way his next question would avoid arousing suspicion. But he had to be sure.

"He didn't take any other pokemon with him? Another pikachu, maybe?"

"Another pikachu?" Gary looked puzzled. "Nah, Ashy only had the one, like always. …Everything okay over there, breeder?"

"Everything's fine. Thank you, Gary." With that Brock hung up, and the screen flickered and died. No doubt he had just made a mess for Ash, but that wasn't his main concern at the moment. The breeder stared at the black screen for a few more moments, and then very slowly began the trek back to his room.

When he had first encountered the pair of pikachu while escorting Melanie to Cerulean City, Brock hadn't known quite what to think. Seeing Pikachu without Ash was enough novelty in itself to keep him occupied at first. But it didn't take long before the situation had become clear – or so he had thought. He had assumed that Pikachu had somehow found a mate (no matter how impossible he had thought that to be) and Ash, being his normal selfless…self when it came to Pikachu, had sent them off to the forest to be together. Only after this idea had simmered for a bit and sunk in had he begun to worry about Ash. In fact, if things had worked out the way he had predicted, Brock may have wound up making a very similar phone call to Gary anyway.

_At least I don't have to worry about Ash anymore,_ Brock thought as he rounded the corner and the door to his room came into view. _Then again,_ he amended as he remembered the look the two pikachu had shared after their song, _maybe this isn't any better._

With a deep breath Brock pushed the door opened, fully prepared to be greeted by an empty room. Instead he found the two pikachu exactly where he had left them, huddled together on the bed farthest from the door. Brock stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click, and sat down on the closer bed.

"I just got off the phone with Gary," he said, his voice calm and steady. "He told me that Ash left with Pikachu just a few days ago, heading for the wild clan. He had no knowledge of another pikachu, especially not one with black cheeks." He leaned forward, hands resting on his knees, and decided to just be blunt.

"Ash, what's going on?"

The black-cheeked pikachu drew back at this, and Pikachu leant forward to meet it. They conferred for a few moments, and then seemed to come to a decision.

"Chu," they nodded together, and the strange pikachu jumped to the ground. It shuffled around a bit, and when it couldn't touch anything from where it was standing it settled down and closed its eyes. It seemed to be concentrating quite hard, paws curled into balls and ears twitching – Brock felt like it was getting to ready to attack. But then without warning a whirlwind burst from the odd pikachu. The wind was fierce, but it didn't seem to be affecting anything in the room. A light flashed dimly within the vortex, and then the wisps of wind had dissipated and his old friend was standing in their place. And then said friend had fallen on the ground.

"Ow…" Ash groaned, sprawled on the floor like an overturned shuckle. "Stupid bag…"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned, poking her head over the edge of the bed to check on her trainer. Ash struggled out of the restraining straps and sat up. He reached out and gave her a scratch.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Learned something though, I think."

"Ash?"

"Eheh," Ash chuckled awkwardly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Hi, Brock."

"Lily?"

"No," Ash shook his head. " Something much worse."

All things considered, Brock took the news well. This was perhaps not too surprising, considering not only had the breeder witnessed Ash's previous transformation into a pikachu courtesy of a witch named Lily, but he had also been present for most of Ash's epic messes in the past. This, after all, was the same boy who had been named the Chosen One, and had gotten them into countless fights and problems over the years. Brock didn't find it all unbelievable that the Pokemon Master had somehow managed to screw up the very balance of power in the world.

Nevertheless, it was a lot to take in.

"Well, I'm just glad I was wrong about your reason for visiting the pikachu," Brock joked, trying to start off simply. Besides, it couldn't hurt to probe this issue a bit. Then Brock caught sight of Pikachu's unmistakable glare from the opposite bed and reconsidered. It could hurt a lot.

"Huh?" Ash asked blankly, uncomprehending eyes wide. Brock sighed, deciding a change of tactics was definitely in order.

"Never mind. So you're meeting back with everyone in two weeks?"

"Yep. Everyone's going to gather back at Oak's and we'll decide what to do when we have more information."

"Sounds reasonable, though I suppose that's because it's not really a plan yet." Brock crossed his arms and leant back against the wall, causing Ash's cheerful expression to flicker. "Do you have any idea how you're going to accomplish all this? Do you even know _what _you're trying to accomplish?" At least Pikachu had stopped giving him the glare of death; now she looked worried. Ash, on the other hand, just seemed confused.

"Of course – we're going to make it so that pokemon can't be used as slaves. We're going to make a world where everyone is equal, people and pokemon."

"But Ash..._how_?" Brock leaned forward again, locking gazes with the young Master. "This world isn't black and white. There are no 'bad guys' in a conflict like this; only people and pokemon who just want to live their lives. Yet there's going to be fighting if you do this. People, and pokemon, might die. Can you handle that?" To Brock's surprise, Ash looked away, turning to face the window even as his gaze seemed to turn inward.

"If I have to, I will," he said softly. "But I have to hope it won't come to that."

"Pikapi…" Pikachu murmured, responding to the rare sadness in Ash's voice. She placed a paw on his leg, and he started petting her out of habit without turning his gaze from the window.

"I've been thinking about it," he continued, "and at first all I could focus on was how angry I was at the Mistress – Celebi." Ash paused again, playing with Pikachu's ear while his loyal friend watched him with concern. A small smile crossed his face. "It took a while, but eventually I was able to see past that and realize that her gift was…well, a gift. She meant well. Once I accepted that, well, it gave her words a lot more weight. Things got a bit more real. It did occur to me there would be danger – when isn't there? But I refuse to accept that anyone has to die.

"I haven't really thought this through yet, but I remember how much Celebi emphasized pokeballs while she was telling her story. I think maybe if we can destroy the balls that might be enough. If the balls are gone, then pokemon can no longer be held against their will. Many pokemon will remain with people and help them, but they'll do it because they _want _to, because they're friends. I don't think Celebi would have any problem with that.

"I'm not sure how to destroy the balls or stop people from just making more, but I was hoping that the others might have some ideas when we regroup in Pallet. I think we can do this without anyone getting hurt, and I'm going to give it my best. I will _not _accept a plan that aims for anything less."

"Ash…" Brock said, mimicking Pikachu in English. He held the trainer's young, determined eyes for a moment longer before closing his own and dropping his head. A small, almost wistful smile crossed his face.

"Count me in."

(o^. ^o)

"So this is it then."

"Guess so."

"Pi…"

Ash and Brock stood on the path outside of a forest, just shy of the spot where the first shadows fell from the trees. Pikachu, as usual, was perched on her trainer's shoulder. Ash had been the first to stop, oddly reluctant to cross into the shadows, and his reluctance had turned the shadows into a barrier for his companions as well. He wasn't sure, but if he had to name the emotion he'd say he was almost…nervous.

But that was silly. What possible reason did he have to be nervous? They'd only be staying for two weeks, and during that time he'd get so many opportunities to practice and learn and make new friends. He'd get to see what it was like to really live as a pikachu – how many people got to do that? It was great! Amazing! He should be excited. He _was_ excited! And yet…

Ash gave his head a shake. It was just a dream. A stupid, silly dream. Since when did he start worrying about his dreams? _Since the one that came true,_ a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind. He mentally growled at it. That had been a special case: the Mistress had been in it. She had forced the dream – and Pikachu had had it too. This was completely different. And it wasn't even a dream, just his imagination and the fire…completely meaningless.

"Ash? Ready to keep going?" Ash looked up and blinked at the breeder.

_He watched himself turn away from the celebrating pokemon and walk off into the trees…fading into the darkness at the heart of the fire. _

"Uh, yeah," he said, forcing a smile. "Sure." With that he stepped into the shadows and continued down the path, missing Pikachu's look of concern.

"So Brock, what are you going to do when we find them?" Ash asked mainly to get his mind focused on other things. The normal chattering of the forest now surrounded them, and their footsteps on the path didn't sound quite so lonely.

"I'll camp here tonight, just to make sure everything's alright," the breeder said. "Then I guess I'll go back to Cerulean and visit Misty like I promised." Brock hesitated. "Ash, should I tell her?" There was a pause, but the forest sounds filled the silence.

"No," Ash decided. "The less she knows, the less danger she'll be in. Me, too. We'll get word to her somehow when the time comes…but not yet."

Brock nodded, not entirely comfortable with keeping things from his friend but respecting Ash's decision. The Master had good reason to be very careful with this secret. Besides, without Ash there to demonstrate, how could he really expect Misty to believe him? The story was fantastic even when compared to their past adventures, and Misty hadn't been in the thick of one of those for quite a while. Being steeped in the monotony of Ash-less reality had kept even Brock from noticing what was right in front of him.

Pikachu's ears twitched and she went stiff on Ash's shoulder, causing the trainer to stop once again. Both remained still for several seconds, eyes scanning the trees.

"Let's find Brock a place to camp first," Ash suggested finally when nothing revealed itself. "Then we can go looking for them together and see if they remember us."

"Chu…" Pikachu murmured, now concerned with how she would explain Ash's absence to the wild pikachu if they did remember her. For that matter, what would she call Ash? Even if they didn't remember him, it would be too risky to use his real name. After a few more moments of worrying this over in her own mind, she said as much to Ash.

"A name, huh?" Ash parroted. He threw a sideways glance at Brock. "I guess Ashes won't work." Pikachu made a negative-sounding noise, and Ash cast around for inspiration. Predictably, the first thing he saw was the brim of his cap.

"Red."

"_Pi-chu_?"

"Why not?" Ash countered, giving his hat a flick to illuminate his reasoning, as much as that was possible. "No one will connect it with me. And I kinda like it."

"Chaaa," Pikachu sighed, shaking her head. Ash glanced at her and was relieved to find that she was smiling.

"Now what was all that about?" Brock interrupted.

"Sorry. Pikachu figured it would be too risky to use my real name with the other pikachu, especially if any of them remember us. So, from now on, Pikachu's friend is Red." Brock coughed suspiciously.

"Ash, you do realize you–_Red _is likely the only pikachu in the world without any red on him…?"

"Yeah?" In the face of that, Brock could only mimic Pikachu's smile and sigh.

"As long as you like it."

The rest of the walk was spent in companionable silence, and it was nearing evening when Brock decided to veer off the path and search for a camping site. After a time spent searching for a reasonably flat piece of ground (during which Ash obsessively avoided anything with leaves of three), Brock finally located a place at the base of a large maple that was secluded enough not to draw visitors and flat enough to allow him to move in the morning. Once Ash's dramatic collapse was done with (what had his mother _put _in that bag?!) the three began the familiar ritual of setting up camp, a process no longer requiring much in the way of conscious thought.

"So Brock, I never asked – how did you know that other Pikachu was me? Before you called Gary, I mean." Ash glanced up at Brock from where he was rummaging around in his pack for something or other. The breeder gave him a disbelieving look.

"Ash, _you_ fought with Pikachu against that Voltorb. I never gave a single command – in fact, you were the one who decided Pikachu would fight at all." Brock shook his rumpled sleeping bag and laid it on the ground, trying to avoid the worst of the roots. He wound up with the bag stretching out from the tree, and nestled his pillow in the crook between two branching roots. "You really confused that poor boy."

"I ah…I guess that was pretty obvious." Ash paused at his rummaging to rub the back of his head, blushing slightly at his own carelessness. "It was just so natural, I didn't really think about it."

"Obviously," Brock laughed. The breeder watched as Ash dug out something that looked like a small watermelon and gave it a confused look. Pikachu contributed with a poke to its hard, striped skin. "But it wasn't just that. I suspected something before then, I just didn't know what." Ash and Pikachu abandoned their inspection of the tiny watermelon and fixed Brock with identical wide, worried gazes.

"Why?"

"Pika?"

"Don't worry, it wouldn't be obvious to most people, not even people who know you," Brock reassured them, and then stared off into the trees for a moment as he considered how to phrase his thought. "Pikachu's…well, she's what we breeders would call spoiled. That doesn't mean anything bad," he added quickly to forestall his impending electrocution as Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "It just means that the pokemon is useless for breeding purposes. It refers to pokemon who've spent a lot of time in the company of humans and have developed an unusually strong bond with one person in particular, usually their trainer. We call this 'over-bonding', since it prevents the pokemon from breeding normally." Brock settled down to sit cross-legged on his sleeping bag since Pikachu, along with Ash, was watching him attentively and seemed unlikely to attack. Judging from the interested but mostly blank expressions facing him, he decided a longer explanation was in order.

"Breeders like me try to get our pokemon to behave as naturally as possible," Brock continued. "For a lot of species, that means pair bonding, and although we generally choose the mates to ensure the best offspring, there's really nothing we can do if the pair refuses to bond. With most pokemon this only happens when the two simply don't get along, and the breeder will just find more compatible partners for them. But with over-bonded pokemon, it doesn't matter how many partners you present them with – they simply refuse to show any interest and instead spend all their time pining for their person. Most breeders know to check for the signs and will refuse the pokemon at the slightest hint of it, but I saw it once with a friend's Ninetales. It was heartbreaking. She eventually had to beg its trainer to take it back.

"Some over-bonded pokemon – ones with weaker bonds – will come around eventually, but it's a long and painful process for everyone involved, and rarely does a breeder wish to try. The more extreme, strongly bonded cases will never breed, and may even waste away from the separation.

"I've tried to avoid it with my own pokemon, and though I suspect Crobat, it's not extreme. Lance's Dragonite is an extreme case for sure, as is Gary's Umbreon. Your Bayleef would be another one, though not as strong. In fact, most good trainers have at least one.

"But without a doubt, Pikachu is by far the most extreme I've ever seen. If she had found a mate like I thought...well, it's unlikely."

Silence reigned in the wake of Brock's lecture, with Ash staring and Pikachu looking distinctly uncomfortable with glowing red cheeks. Finally Ash spoke, predictably skipping over the implications of the subject matter entirely.

"Wow Brock, you really know a lot!"

"Well I am a breeder, you know," Brock laughed. "It's my job to know these things."

"Oh yeah, I guess so," Ash agreed, rubbing the back of his head again absently. "But still, that was a lot! And it was so interesting too! Wait…" Ash paused, turning serious and finally considering what Brock had said. "Does that mean Pikachu can never have a family?" Brock paused to catch Pikachu's eye before answering.

"Maybe not."

"What? But you said…" Ash floundered, looking back and forth between his friend and partner, bewildered by the odd intense look they were sharing. Not for the first time and definitely not for the last, Ash knew he was missing something. But, as he was used to doing in situations like this, he let it go for now.

Finally Pikachu nodded at Brock and broke the gaze, but before Ash could remark on the strange shade of orange she had become, she attacked the watermelon.

Ash gaped. He wasn't sure how she had managed it, but her bolt of electricity had split the fruit into distinct wedges – six of them in fact, and each with only slightly jagged edges. The feat was all the more impressive to Ash now that he was wrestling with his own electricity; a display of that amount of control had him in awe.

Not noticing Ash's amazement since she was most definitely _not_ looking at him, Pikachu went ahead and grabbed a wedge, biting into the odd fruit with only slight hesitation. To her surprise it _was _a watermelon after all – just smaller, and…yellow. Ash followed suit, and soon the two were happily munching away while Brock finished setting up camp.

Once Pikachu and Ash had finished eating and had scrounged up some more food to give to the wild clan when they arrived, it was time to go. Ash shouldered his pack, bundled the food up in a smaller bag, said his goodbyes to Brock, and shifted. Gripping the parcel firmly in his teeth, he gave the breeder a playful nuzzle and then he and Pikachu were off.

They didn't have much of a plan in place to find the other pokemon, but even with that in mind the task was surprisingly hard. An hour passed with no sign of them, not even a scent on the wind. And then another hour, though Pikachu had detected some electricity in the air once even though she was unable to locate the source. Evening turned into night, and still they'd had no luck.

Pikachu admitted defeat when Ash stumbled and fell in the darkness for the fifth time, and forced the trainer to concede as well. It was no use injuring themselves trying to find the clan tonight; the wild pikachu were probably sleeping by now as well. Besides, they did have food with them – they wouldn't starve if they had to wander for another day. The two stopped for the night beneath the overhang of a scraggly bush, huddling together for warmth and praying it wouldn't rain.

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**TBC...duhduhduh... Read it? Review it!**


	10. Wish Pt2

**It's coming slowly, but it's coming. A note on ages: I figure a captive pikachu lifespan is something like 25 or 30, so by that count 15 would be middle aged. Pikachu herself is somewhere between 10 and 15, so she would still be considered a young adult, and anything under 5 would be an adolescent or a child. Capiche? I tried to fit it into the story proper but I think it still has the potential to be confusing, so there you go. Also, ffn seems to think there's 2,000 more words to this than there ought to be, so let me know if you see any wierd repetition? **

**And finally, many thanks to my new beta, Chemical-soul. :D**

**_"Pokemon speak"_ **

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_A Different Kind of Soulmate_

_Chapter 9(b): Wish_

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_"…here?"_

_"Maybe they're in trouble. We should help."_

"_Maybe they _are _trouble."_

_"They smell like…"_

_"Chi would want us to help."_

_"Chi wanted to help last time too."_

_"_Pi-Ka! _It wasn't his fault! He –"_

_"_Cchhh!_ You'll wake them up!"_

Ash frowned slightly as the whispers slowly pulled him into awareness. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to keep his eyes closed, assuming he had enough energy to want to open them in the first place. Instead he waited, trying to make as much sense of the words as he could while he woke up by degrees. It sounded like the wild clan, finally. But something didn't seem right.

_"Only because he wasn't in charge! You know he would've –_"

_"_Cha-Ka! _Stop it! We have a problem here!"_

_"We do? I really don't see how it's any of our business."_

_"Fine. What if they decide to stay here? If they're not careful, it could happen again…"_

Ash took advantage of the silence that followed to nudge Pikachu as subtly as he could. He received a faint nudge in return, and wondered how long she had been awake. Reassured that they were both aware and ready, Ash dared to open an eye.

It really was disappointing how little that act of bravery accomplished. All he could see was darkness. He decided to open the other eye for good measure, although it really didn't help much. It was simply too dark. What moonlight there was got filtered through the trees, losing most of its strength before reaching the forest floor, and the strangers were too far away to make out in the gloom. Ash supposed he would just have to say something. Eventually.

_"Okay. Pip, are you alright to stay here?"_

_"I – I guess so. Yeah."_

_"If they move so much as a whisker, give the signal. _Cha?_"_

_"Okay."_

_"We'll be back soon."_

_"Careful, Pip."_

_"Sure."_

Ash listened as soft crunching noises signaled the departure of at least two pokemon. From what he could tell there had only been three, so there was only one left. He doubted he would get a better opportunity.

_"Hello," _he tried. _"We –"_

"Piiiii!"

Before Ash could as much as blink, a burst of light lit up the darkness and Pikachu vanished from his side. When his eyes recovered from the cruel exposure, he found Pikachu standing protectively in front of him, tail raised. He took a few more seconds to put together what had happened: the startled pikachu must have attacked, and Pikachu had intercepted the electricity before it could touch Ash. He felt a brief flare of gratitude, but knew that thanks were completely unnecessary.

_"We don't mean any harm," _Ash tried again, peeking out behind Pikachu even though his vision was even worse now, if that was possible. _"Really. See, we even brought a present." _ He nudged the parcel of food in the direction Pikachu was facing, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. There was a long stretch of silence, and then a crunch as the pikachu hopped forward once. Another long silence, followed by another crunch. And another. Finally the parcel was snatched away by a yellow paw.

Ash and Pikachu waited as their gift was inspected, staring at the vague form they could now make out amid the blackness. There was crinkling, snuffling, and then finally a crack and chewing sounds, an audible swallow and a happy 'pi!'

_"It's good, right?" _Ash said, smiling. _"See, we're your friends."_

_"I'm Pip," _the other chirped, and a tail appeared out of the gloom. Pikachu was the first to understand the traditional gesture, and offered her own tail to shake.

"Pi_ka_chu," his friend introduced_. "And this is Red."_

Ash smiled gratefully at Pikachu, knowing he definitely would've slipped up. He followed his friend's example and offered his tail as well. _"Nice to meet you."_

_"You have such a funny name!" _Pip giggled, moving closer so they could see her properly. She was tiny, and Ash guessed she must be very young.

"Chaaa…_We're not from around here," _Pikachu said by way of explanation. _"Do you know where Viridian Forest is?" _

"Kaa-aaa,"Pip said, shaking her head energetically. Suddenly she stopped, staring at Pikachu as her eyes grew wide and slightly awed. _"Wait…there was…a pikachu from there who came to visit a long time ago. I'm too little so I don't remember, but Chi does! He'll tell you the story if you ask nicely and don't yawn!"_

_"Do you know how long ago that was?" _Pikachu asked, frowning slightly. The tiny pikachu adopted a look of intense concentration and one ear drooped. Ash had to smile.

_"Um…it was…10 summers ago!" _Pip burst out, and then went quiet again. _"I think… It was a long time ago anyway. Only Chi can remember it. He knows everything!"_

_"This Chi,"_ Pikachu said, still frowning, _"Is he your clan leader?"_

"Pi!_ And he's really good at it too!"_

_"Do you think you could take us to him?" _Ash asked. Pip opened her mouth to answer, but a cry interrupted her.

_"Pip! What are you _doing_?!"_

The tiny pikachu in question whirled to face the two shapes that bounded out of the trees, and was shoved backward as both newcomers firmly placed themselves between her and the strangers. The newcomers were larger than Pip, but still a bit smaller than Pikachu: adolescents, perhaps. The larger of the two sported jagged black tips on his ears and devoted himself to glaring at Ash and Pikachu while the other fussed over Pip. Ash wasn't sure how, but somehow he knew that the jagged-eared pikachu was a male, while the other two were female.

_"We didn't hurt her," _Ash tried, ignoring the glaring pikachu as much as he could. _"We're friends. We just gave her some food as a present, that's all." _

The smaller pikachu glanced at him, aghast, and turned back to Pip. _"And you _ate_ it, didn't you? _Picha! _How many times have I told you to be careful?! Dad will kill me if you get sick!" _

Pip wilted noticeably under the lecture, but glared back determinedly. _"It was just an apple; I didn't eat all of it! And it was good! They're just pikachu like us, they wouldn't hurt us!"_

"Ch. _They smell like humans," _the largest pikachu spoke up for the first time.

_"They're Pikachu and Red," _Pip stated in the uniquely obstinate tone of young children. But even with the childish tone, the way she said Pikachu's name stuck out. The emphasis didn't fit with the rest of the sentence, and it was actually the same way that Pikachu had introduced herself: quick, with emphasis on the middle syllable. Before Ash could ponder that further, Pip continued, _"And they're friends." _Her guardian gave her an exasperated look and turned to the larger pikachu.

_"Look, it doesn't matter anyways, you heard what Chi said." _With that mysterious comment, she faced Ash and Pikachu. _"I'm Uka, and he's Ki. I guess you've already met my sister. I'm sorry if she was stupid." _Pip sparked a bit at that, but Uka ignored her. _"Our clan's leader wants to see you. If you would follow me…?"_

Ash and Pikachu nodded and the four pikachu trailed after Uka as she picked her way through the dark forest. The clan pokemon moved fast, and Ash was hard pressed to keep up with their pace. Even Pip seemed to know where the rocks were without looking at the ground. Ash was sure he would've lost the group more than once if it wasn't for Pikachu's watchful eye, as focused on the ground as he was.

For her part, when she wasn't looking out for Ash Pikachu was busy pondering the odd tenseness in the wild pikachu. All these years later, Pikachu could still remember her last visit with clan – the memory was imprinted in her mind so strongly that she doubted she'd ever forget it. That time had included some of the most tumultuous days of her life; homesickness, nostalgia, hope, and dim panic still always filled her when she remembered that time. Yet throughout her own turmoil, she remembered the clan as consistently friendly and peaceful. Even the incident with Team Rocket hadn't really ruffled their calm, at least after the dust had settled. The clan wasn't used to humans, true, but when they got over their original wariness they were comfortable enough with Ash and the others. They certainly hadn't shunned her for being a trained pokemon. Now, they seemed almost paranoid that she and Ash would draw humans after them, like harbingers of the plague. What could've happened to change their attitudes so drastically?

Her gaze shifted to Pip, who was bounding along happily beside Ash. At least there were some left in clan who embodied that sense of optimism that she remembered. Whatever it was couldn't have been _that _terrible if innocence like this still remained. Adolescents were always prone to being overly dramatic and pessimistic, and this pair couldn't have been older than four years; perhaps it wasn't as bad as she was imagining.

Then again, Pikachu was reminded as she stepped into the familiar clearing, youngsters were just as prone to being overly optimistic. Hushed whispers immediately started up with the group's entrance, but that wasn't what had startled the Master's elite so. The clan had hardly been large when she visited – thirty or fourty, maybe fifty individuals at best. But now, when she fully expected it to have doubled in size, it had halved; fifteen or twenty was the most optimistic count she could give. Suspicious eyes watched her from all sides as she walked with Ash through the clearing, and Ki's baleful gaze tracked them from behind.

It didn't take her very long to figure out where they were headed; the pikachu on both sides had parted obligingly, leaving them with an open route that ended at a large stump on the opposite side of the clearing. The moonlight was strong without the trees to filter it, and Pikachu could easily see the single pokemon perched on the stump awaiting their arrival. Pip, apparently tired with Uka's plodding pace, dashed ahead and joined the other pikachu on the stump, conversing with it in whispers. Before they had made even halfway across the clearing, the stump pikachu leapt off the makeshift dais and came bounding toward them amid shocked gasps from the rest of the clan and a scandalized 'Father!' from Uka. Unheeding, the stump pikachu dodged around their escort and stopped only when he was directly in front of Pikachu, grinning widely.

_"Pikachu? Is that really you?" _Pikachu couldn't help smiling in return at the hopeful look on the other's face.

_"Chi? I thought it might be you, but it's been so long and you've grown…"_

_"It _is _you!"_ Chi exclaimed, and immediately pressed his cheek against Pikachu's, exchanging a few happy sparks with his old friend. Finally he seemed to recall the existence of the others, and turned cheerfully to Ash. _"And who's this?"_

Pikachu only smiled wider at the look of absolute bafflement on Ash's face, and she nuzzled him in a sudden burst of affection. _"Chi, this is Red. Red, this is Chi, the pikachu from before that I told you about. He was the little one who fell in the river." _Recognition appeared on Ash's face, and Chi laughed.

_"_Chuuu…_Of course that would be what you remembered." _He then turned around to address the rest of the clan, his smile never faltering. _"Everyone, this is Pikachu and her friend Red. Ten summers ago she saved our clan from an evil group of humans called Team Rocki. _ _She is an honorary member of this clan, and I ask that you treat her and her friend with respect. I speak for her when I say that she would never bring harm to this clan. Now please, get some sleep." _Scattered yawns broke out with that statement, and the tension in the air seemed to vanish. The crowd dispersed, presumably to go back to sleep as their leader had suggested. Obviously they trusted Chi, despite whatever had happened in the past. Pikachu grinned inwardly at Chi's twisting of Team Rocket into the more pikachu-friendly 'Team Rocki'.

Chi turned back to them, and made a shooing gesture with his tail at Uka, Ki and Pip, who were still hovering nearby. Uka and Ki turned sullen but left under their own power, while Pip required a push from her father before she trailed after them. Chi moved off as well, beckoning at Ash and Pikachu to follow him.

_"I apologize if they were rude," _he said as they walked. _"We normally welcome strangers, but we have to be more cautious these days. It's been hard for all of us, the children most of all."_

_"It's fine," _Ash assured him. _"Besides, Pip was great."_

"Pi, _I'm lucky to have her," _Chi said, smiling sadly. _"But sometimes I worry about her. She has such faith in everyone." _Chi paused just outside the clearing, where a log had fallen or been pushed on top of two rocks to provide a convenient shelter. Pikachu poked her nose inside and found it to be lined with feathers and ferns – the best pillow the forest could provide.

_"But that's a good thing!" _Ash protested, shocked. _"You should always believe in people!" _Chi just shook his head, ears drooping.

_"You should get some rest," _he told them both. _"Most of us sleep together outside in the nice weather, but I thought you might like some privacy. I'm sure nothing in the forest would be a threat to either of you." _ Ash nodded reluctantly, not bothering to correct him on that last statement.

_"Chi…" _Pikachu began, then paused and reconsidered whether it was worth risking the demons of the past to ask. But no; Chi was her friend, and as an honorary member of the clan, she should know. _"What happened here?" _She could have expanded on the question, but the look in the leader's eyes told her it was unnecessary. Chi turned to look out towards the clearing before answering, and Pikachu sat down near Ash to lean into his comforting warmth.

_"About two summers ago, we had humans in the forest again," _Chi said with a faraway look in his eyes. _"I mean, we get travelers all the time, but usually they walk right through without really stopping, and we don't notice them. But these ones were different. They seemed to be looking for us, and they found us. We didn't even try to hide. We thought humans were our friends, and we didn't run away._

_"They left, and we thought nothing of it until a few moons later when they returned. This time they brought more humans with them, and these humans had pokemon too. We thought they were friends too, and we didn't run. But they used their pokemon to attack us. We were completely unprepared. They caught a lot of us, including my mate, Piich. The rest of us ran, and we never saw our friends and family again. Since then we've been wary of strangers, and a lot more cautious in how we live. Before we never had to worry about threats, other than the occasional Pidgeotto trying for a youngster, but now we have sentinels at night and patrols to watch for intruders. The stress is getting to all of us, but some more than others."_

_"So that's why – that's horrible!" _Ash exclaimed, leaping to his feet and practically vibrating with anger. _"Who were they? I bet they were Team Rocket! I'll–"_

_"It wasn't Team Rocki," _Chi interrupted sadly. _"I would've recognized them. The humans that came had blue suits with tiny lightning bolts on them. We'd never seen them before."_

_"Lightning bolts…" _Ash mused, finding the description familiar somehow. _"Pikachu, isn't that…"_

_"The power company," _Pikachu finished grimly, _"based in the Power Plant near Cerulean. They probably took your mate and the others there."_

_"Cerulean…" _Chi looked puzzled. _"I'm sorry. I've never been far from this forest – I don't know where you mean. But this Power Plant…you know where it is? You've been there?"_

_"Not exactly," _Pikachu said. _"But we know how to get there."_

_"Chi, we'll get them back for you!" _Ash cried, punching the air with his tiny yellow fist. _"I promise you'll see your mate again!"_

_"Thank you…Red," _Chi said, looking grateful but skeptical. _"If there really is a chance that we could get our families back, then there are many in this clan that would help you. _Ka;_ we'll talk more in the morning. You two need to sleep as well."_

Ash sat back down and couldn't stop a yawn from coming out, along with a soft squeak. Pikachu grinned.

_"I think you're right," _she agreed. _"Good night."_

_"Good night," _Chi returned, and vanished into the trees facing the clearing. Yawning herself now, Pikachu stumbled after Ash into their shelter for the night. There was a brief, mostly unconscious scuffle where they both attempted to be the one facing the outside since each felt they needed to protect the other in some way. Eventually they settled in a compromise, curled up together with both of their tails hanging outside. Pikachu had almost completely drifted off to sleep when a voice dragged her back.

_"Those other pikachu," _Ash said slowly, obviously fighting sleep himself, _"they said your name different. Like PiKAchu. You too. Whazzat about?"_

_"It's my name," _Pikachu yawned, too far gone to realize that wasn't a good enough answer.

_"But I thought your name was Pikachu!" _Ash was waking up more and getting louder, and this was Not Good.

_"It is," _Pikachu repeated. _"But not all pikachu are just named 'pikachu', Ash." _Silence. Pikachu forced her eyes open and encountered a surprisingly intense Ash half-sitting in the small shelter. This was important, apparently. She tried to pay attention. _"Clans are different. This one likes short, unique names. Mine cared more about the way the name was said, rather than what it was – so that particular emphasis _is _my name. Some clans don't even have proper names, but rely on the deeper meaning representing the individual instead."_

_"So I've been saying your name wrong?!"_

"Pikapi,"she soothed, sitting up herself. _"It's okay. According to that last group, with the deeper meanings, you're the only one who says mine name _right_." _Ash subsided slightly, but still looked unhappy.

_"How come you never told me?" _Pikachu shrugged.

_"It wasn't important. Besides, it was a long time before you could understand me, and by that point it _really _wasn't important." _She caught his gaze and held it, trying her best to get her point across. _"Believe me, if I cared I would've found a way to tell you."_

_"Fine," _Ash muttered, lying down again. Pikachu immediately jumped at the chance and curled back up beside him. _"But I'm saying it right from now on."_

Pikachu made only a vague noncommittal noise in response, but she was smiling as she finally dropped off into sleep.

(o^. ^o)

Pikachu woke warm and comfortable. Hers was a gradual awakening as the sun inched upwards to an angle that allowed it to poke its first probing rays into the hollow where the two pikachus slept. Its increasing intrusion lit up the mass of yellow fur within, making it glow, but only when the light had crept its way up to her nose did Pikachu wake.

She didn't move at first, not wanting to disturb the peace she found herself in the midst of. Instead she slowly became more aware of the world around her; how Ash's fur ruffled like waves of golden wheat with each breath she exhaled, how their matching thunderbolt tails swayed together in the slight breeze where they hung outside the nook, how the birds around them seemed in perfect harmony as they each greeted the dawn in their own way. And it occurred to her, as she simply took in the world, that this was how she always wanted to wake up.

Pikachu knew this was a dangerous thought, but she couldn't get rid of it now that it had snagged her. Bit by bit she was realizing a new dream, this one all her own and not simply adopted from Ash. Perhaps she had always had this dream, holding it secretly deep within her heart, never allowing herself to realize it was there. But now new circumstances just kept piling up and she was losing her ability to hide from herself. She hadn't hit her epiphany moment yet, but she saw enough to be concerned. Clinging to the remainder of her ignorance, she was at least able to prevent herself from looking any closer at the thought.

Pikachu yawned and decided it was high time to get moving. She poked her companion, but the trainer-turned-pikachu only mumbled something and curled up more, pulling his tail inside and resting it over his nose. After a few minutes Pikachu realized she was staring and forced herself out.

Blinking in the full force of the sun's brilliance, Pikachu stumbled out into the clearing and attempted to locate the clan. She made out what looked like a large clump of pikachu at the far end, and she assumed those were the ones still sleeping. She began to make her way over to them when she noticed a small group of Pikachu near the edge of the forest closer to her. She headed toward them instead, stopping a polite distance away, outside of hearing range. They either became aware of her presence or simply finished their discussion, for the group dispersed shortly, leaving only one familiar pikachu behind. Pikachu hopped toward him happily.

_"Morning," _she greeted, noting that Chi didn't seem surprised to see her. _"What was that about?"_

_"You, actually. They wanted to know more about where you had come from, what you were doing here." _Chi squinted at her. _"I didn't really have much to tell them."_

_"Sorry," _Pikachu said, unabashed. _"But you were the one who kept nagging us to go to sleep last night."_

_"_Chu_. Well, you're not feeling sleepy now, are you?"_

_"Maybe," _Pikachu grinned. _"But really, we're harmless. We just came here to get away for awhile. Red was raised by humans so he's never seen how wild pikachu live; he was curious. And he thought that you might be able to help him get stronger. He just can't accept that he'll never be nearly as strong as me." _Pikachu shook her head in mock sympathy, missing Chi's thoughtful look.

_"_Pii…_I'm not sure that we can help him with that, but we can satisfy his curiosity at least. Let me know when he wakes up, and I'll show him around."_

_"He'd love that," _Pikachu said, her grin shifting to a true smile. _"Thank you."_

_"_Chupi,_ my pleasure," _Chi assured her. _"It's so good to see you both again."_

Pikachu half-nodded before she realized what was wrong with that statement, but by the time she opened her mouth to protest it was too late. Chi was already gone.

Well, she had probably just misheard.

With that comforting thought, Pikachu left the clan leader to whatever he did during the day and headed back to her log, intending to have another go at waking up Ash. When she got there she found him sitting up and if not wide awake, at least conscious. He gave her a wave in mid-yawn when he spotted her, and made a stumbling half-hop out of the log. Pikachu noticed how he waved his tail to keep his balance as he did so, and had to smile. If he was able to use his tail unconsciously like that – and Pikachu was certain he would've fallen without it – then he must really be comfortable in his new form. The thought cheered her, and her good mood returned full force. Seeing no reason to restrain herself, she bounded over to Ash and gave him a playful cheek to cheek spark. Immediately the sleepy pikachu perked up.

_"Wow!" _Ash laughed, shaking his head and blinking rapidly. _"You're sure happy!" _He grinned at her a moment before his thoughts caught up to his other systems. _"Wait…how did I know that? I mean, you're obviously…but…" _Pikachu laughed, but took pity on his confusion.

_"If another pikachu is feeling something really strongly, their electricity will tell you," _she explained. _"Works for sickness too. It's just instinct, I think."_

_"Well, whatever it is, I feel great!"_

Pikachu grinned at Ash's enthusiasm, but a niggling part of her mind reminded her about the questions she still had for Chi regarding the de-charging…thing. She was fairly certain there were major aspects to that tradition that she was forgetting or had simply never been told – she had been snatched away from her home at a young age after all, and it wasn't considered necessary for the young ones to know everything…especially not where adult affairs were concerned.

_"So, what can we do?" _

Pikachu looked up at Ash's grinning face, broken out of her musings. "Pii_, Chi said he would show you around later," _she said. _"I told him you were raised by humans, by the way. That should explain any…strangeness." _ Ash made a face, but didn't object. _"Until then, I guess we're free," _she finished with a shrug.

Ash looked thoughtful for a moment, and then brightened. _"Training?" _

Seeing his eagerness, Pikachu grinned yet again – she just couldn't seem to stop today. "Pika pi-ka!"

They started with some basic target practice since Ash was still having some difficulties with aiming. After only a few minutes, several decimated branches were able to testify to his intuitive grasp of power, even if the leaves on said branches remained attached. When Ash nearly crushed himself with one they moved on to control, an exercise that allowed Ash to make use of safer, ground-bound objects. As Ash was concentrating particularly hard on a tall plant, trying to use his sparks to make it crack instead of crumble, Pikachu was reminded of the way Ash used to randomly test her reaction time when she was training, and sent a small thundershock his way. Incredibly, Ash reacted to her warning call just fast enough, and his answering bolt led to an impromptu shield practice. As they stood within their respective blue domes, feeding the electricity and watching it shimmer, they silently agreed that this was far more interesting.

They locked gazes again and Ash repeated his tail twitch for a simultaneous release. Just like the last time, the bolts reformed and the electricity was easily reabsorbed. Pikachu gave herself a small shake, feeling almost more energized than before.

_"Pikachu…" _Pikachu lifted her head at the sadness in Ash's voice, and saw him walking towards her slowly, eyes downcast. He had, however, gotten her name right. _"I'm sorry._" He paused, in both words and motion, staring out across the clearing for a beat. Pikachu waited patiently, confident an explanation was on its way. _"I…I didn't handle this so well. Any of it."_

"Chu?"

Ash finally looked at her, and the regret she saw there was startling. _"I was just so angry at the Mistress, and the first transformation was so painful that I couldn't see clearly," _Ash said. _"I was so angry and determined to prove her wrong that I couldn't see the benefits. I couldn't see how much I was hurting you." _Ash shook his head, and his eyes dropped again. _"I was stupid. But I think I'm past that now, and I really like being a pikachu now! It's fun, and everything's so different. And I just…I'm sorry for before."_

"Pikapi…"

Ash blinked as he felt a furry head nudge underneath his chin and a cold nose burrow into his fur. _"You don't have to explain," _Pikachu whispered._ "I know. And you know that." _

Ash took a deep breath of Pikachu's comforting smell. _"I do, but this felt like one of the big things, you know? I had to say something." _There was a pause, and Ash could almost feel Pikachu internalizing his words. He had been right; this one couldn't be allowed to remain silent.

_"Thank you," _she whispered finally. Ash felt a puff of air ruffle his fur a moment later as she chuckled. _"But you're Ash, my _Pikapi. _Of course you're slow sometimes."_

_"Hey," _Ash protested, drawing back. _"What's that supposed to mean?"_ Pikachu drew back as well, gave him a slightly tearful but joyous grin as her only answer, and took off. The race was on.

Three bruises, one scorched rock, and many angry pokemon later, Chi found them collapsed deep in the forest. Although nearly breathless from exhaustion, Pikachu managed to gasp out her surprise at his ability to find them. In response, Chi only looked up, where a sizable flock of spearow had gathered and were still scolding the miscreants quite heartily. The pair had the grace to look ashamed.

After a short while Chi deemed them to be recovered and offered to give Ash the tour he had promised. Ash leapt to his feet eagerly at the prospect, all signs of exhaustion gone. Unfortunately this offer did not have the same effect on Pikachu, who merely trailed after her excitable friend. She did, however, find the energy to fire up a stream of sparks into the treetops as she left. The flock kindly dispersed.

As the three made their way back to the clearing, Ash took the opportunity to observe their guide properly, having missed out in the chaos and darkness of the previous night. He was lean, but without being stringy – Pikachu was obviously the more fit of the two. After a moment more Ash realized that this was because he was tall, a fact that was hard to notice when travelling on all fours. Perhaps long was a better description. Pikachu was also older, but not to a noticeable degree; they were both on the young side of adulthood in Ash's estimation of such things. Chi was actually the larger of the two now - quite a difference from the last time they'd met. The years had done well by him. He was missing any notable scars or markings, and Ash wondered if this indicated that he didn't fight much. Now that he was really looking at the other pikachu, this conclusion seemed likely.

Because the closer Ash looked, the more he realized that Chi couldn't be defined by anything physical or obvious. The key to his leadership was not in how many battles he'd won, or how imposing his presence was, or even in an inherent sense of confidence which, Ash could safely say, Chi did not possess. But even though he was lacking in all these expected, typical traits, Ash could see why they followed him. He gave off a presence – not of power, or courage, or even hope – but of love; of kindness, and acceptance. Ash could tell, simply by his unconscious, habitual reactions to the other pikachu they passed and theirs in turn, that they were completely comfortable in his presence. He could even feel it working in himself – something about Chi just put him at ease. And it made sense, really, for a leader in a place such as this to embody love rather than power.

Ash felt a new wave of sympathy for this pikachu and the clan he watched over. With such a leader, they were in no way prepared to deal with the tragedy that had struck them. They didn't know what it was to fight back. Yet even with the dissidence that such an event would be expected to cause, the majority of the clan still seemed loyal to Chi. _Which,_ Ash thought as he watched two quarrelling pikachu interrupt their argument to wave cheerfully at Chi, _isn't really all that surprising after all._

Chi lived up to his promise, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy showing Ash around. The two strange pikachu received tours of the sleeping area (currently just a corner of the field), the winter burrows, and directions to the best foraging areas and the stream as well as general introductions to whichever clan members happened to be around. Sadly, Ash suspected the warm greeting they received from the others was mostly thanks to Chi's presence; a number of times Chi had to visibly break the ice with a tense pikachu, and there seemed to be a general reluctance to talk to Ash or Pikachu directly. This feeling lessened when Pip found them, since the two-year-old's chatter served to buoy up even the most lagging conversation, keeping the listeners if not engaged, at least consistently exasperated.

Finally, with visible reluctance, Chi directed them to the last sight. Pip left them, and they moved farther into the forest, using a well-trodden trail that terminated in a smaller clearing. The distinctive sound of electricity and battle cries reached their ears long before the trees' edge came into view. With ears laid back, Chi informed them that this was the 'ball'.

The meaning of this name was not readily apparent, but as Ash and Pikachu watched they began to understand. The small, round clearing was filled with pikachu, mostly young, who appeared to be training. Some were sparring with both electricity and physical attacks, others were working through an obstacle course, and still others were practicing hitting inanimate objects. Most of them seemed to be having great fun, but some of the older ones wore more serious, determined expressions.

_"After the attack, a lot of the clan felt we needed to be stronger," _Chi explained, mostly unnecessarily. _"We'd always had a place for the young ones to learn, but now older clan members come as well. A number of them are here every day, training. And they have gotten stronger."_

_"But…" _Pikachu prompted, after it seemed the leader had finished.

"Chuu…" Chi sighed. _"They have gotten stronger, but some have also grown more aggressive, more impulsive. They resent the rest of us for wanting to continue to live peacefully. They're starting to act like bullies. We used to be so peaceful, united. But the older ones here are feeding their thirst for revenge, and it's an ugly thing. Violence can solve nothing."_

_"No," _Ash agreed thoughtfully, _"but sometimes it can help. Chi, I see why you dislike this idea, but if we're really going to rescue your mate and the others who were taken, we'll need all the help we can get. Would you mind if I joined them?" _

Chi looked pained, but nodded. "Cha. _If you think it might help." _

Ash flashed him a grin. _"Even if it doesn't help them, it'll definitely help me! Thank you for the tour, I'll see you later!" _ And Ash bounded off to join the crackling crowd of pikachu, leaving Chi and Pikachu to look on.

_"You're not going?" _Chi asked finally, after a minute had passed and neither had moved.

Pikachu shrugged. _"Maybe later. …Red needs it more than I do." _

If Chi noticed the involuntary pause before the name, he didn't comment. Instead he smiled, reminded. _"So what's Ash up to these days?" _

Pikachu visibly started and simply stared at the leader for a moment. _"That's right, I guess you wouldn't know," _she said slowly, a smile spreading across her face. She puffed up her chest proudly. _"He's the Pokemon Master now." _The blank stare she received was most definitely not the reaction she was looking for.

_"The what?" _Chi asked finally when it was clear that no more information was forthcoming. Pikachu had to glare.

"Pika_, you can't not know!" _As Chi's blank gaze continued unfaltering, Pikachu added hesitantly, _"Can you?"_

_"Like I said before, we don't leave the forest much," _Chi apologized, unfazed. Pikachu sighed, defeated.

_"Well, I can't really explain it properly," _she grumbled, _"but it's every trainer's dream. Basically, it means Ash is recognized as the best trainer in the world right now." _Chi did look impressed at that, although still not as much as Pikachu had been going for.

_"Impressive, I guess," _Chi said. _"And you're his strongest?"_

_"Of course," _Pikachu agreed, puffing again. Chi's next comment deflated her once more.

_"So where's Ash right now?" _

Pikachu blinked. "Pi…ka…_he's back in Pallet," _she managed. _"He thought it best that he stay behind."_

_"Ah," _said Chi. He looked tempted to probe further, but apparently was able to resist. They watched Ash interacting with the other pikachu for a few more minutes before Pikachu decided it would be wise to change the subject.

_"Why the 'ball'?" _she asked. While the answer obviously involved the clearing's circular shape, she felt there was more to it. The pained expression returned to Chi's face, confirming her suspicions.

_"It used to be The Circle," _Chi admitted. _"Not just for its shape, but because of the testing process for a pikachu who felt their training was complete. The elder clan members would form a circle around the young one to test them."_ Chi paused again, and his nose twitched as if he smelled something distasteful. _"After the attack, the older ones renamed it the Ball, after the pokeballs they were training to fight against. I think they have some deeper meaning to it now, but I don't really understand it."_

The unsaid "and I don't want to" was left hanging in the air, and Pikachu turned sad eyes on the other pokemon. Chi obviously wanted nothing to do with conflict and violence yet here it was, threatening to tear his family apart. Although they couldn't be more different in that respect – Pikachu had always been quick to anger and prone to violence – she understood his wishful pacifism, and realized she wanted to do what she could to protect this little family. And maybe she was actually in a position to do that.

_"You know, Red was serious when he mentioned going to the power plant." _

Chi didn't seem at all phased by this abrupt subject change, although he kept his eyes fixed on the Ball. His reply when it came was measured and soft. _"I don't want to get everyone's hopes up for nothing."_

_"It's not nothing," _Pikachu pressed. _"Red can do it, I promise you."_

_"Promises are fragile things," _was Chi's enigmatic reply. _"They can break for so many reasons, even if no one is at fault." _

_"I _promise_ you." _Pikachu repeated. Chi finally turned to face her, giving her a long, searching look. For the first time since they arrived, his eyes were almost hard. Eventually he seemed to find what he was seeking, for his eyes softened.

_"You believe in him." _

Pikachu blinked. _"Of course I do."_

_"With your whole heart and soul," _Chi continued, as if Pikachu hadn't spoken. _"More, much more than you dare to believe in yourself. And you still insist he's not Ash?" _Pikachu gaped.

_"Uh…I…well, I mean…" _Pikachu made herself stop, took a breath, and tried again. _"That's just crazy. Ash is a human, and Red is a pikachu." _

_"_Pi_, a pikachu that was raised by humans but still has trouble controlling his electricity, and yet one that you somehow think will be able to free our captured family." _ Chi flashed her a grin that would have looked mocking coming from anyone else, but instead just made Pikachu feel foolish and a little guilty for lying in the first place. _"Stranger things have happened." _

Pikachu looked away, shifting uncomfortably, and a small blush appeared on her cheeks, accentuating the red circles even more. To her disappointment, when she looked back up Chi was still favouring her with that chastising grin.

_"Fine," _she huffed. _"Just don't spread it around. Ash might not be the most popular person soon." _

Chi's face visibly fell. "_What are you planning?" _he asked. Pikachu reared a bit at the assumption that it was _their _fault, but slumped again as she realized she couldn't exactly deny it. And she couldn't completely explain either.

_"I can't say much yet," _she hedged, _"but we're going to try to change some things. Some people won't like it." _Chi laughed, a harsh, grating sound that caused Pikachu's fur to bristle.

_"That's an understatement, I'm sure," _he said, turning towards the Ball. _"Maybe you should enlist some of my enthusiastic yearlings to your cause."_

_"Chi!" _Pikachu protested, overwhelmed with a sense of _wrongness_. The venom in his voice jarred horribly with what she knew of him, like he was being tainted in some way. Fortunately her call seemed to reach him, and he shook his head.

"Pi, pi. _I'm sorry. I forgot myself for a moment." _ A beat passed, and then Chi turned away from the Ball and back to Pikachu. _"Violence can solve nothing," _he shook her head slowly.

_"We want to avoid violence as much as we possibly can, but if we must fight, then we mean to win," _she stated. _"Maybe violence cannot solve a problem, but it'll break your solution if you can't deal with it."_

Chi closed his eyes briefly, but when he opened them he appeared unshaken. _"Maybe you're right, when it comes to bigger, important things in the world," _he conceded, _"but within this clan we have always solved our problems peacefully."_

_"Then let us solve this one for you," _she prompted. _"Ash can get your family back."_

_"Full circle," _Chi sighed. _"Fine, I'll talk to your Ash." _ He got up and began walking away from the clearing, back the way they had come. With a last glance at the happily occupied Ash, Pikachu trailed along.

_"I saw you training earlier," _Chi remarked after a minute or so of listening to pawsteps. Pikachu decided on the safe answer.

_"Oh?"_

_"You were doing something very interesting – it looked like a blue shield?" _ Pikachu brightened.

_"Oh yeah, that's something that Ash and I just figured out. If you don't know how to do it, we'd love to teach you!" _Chi gave her an odd sideways glance.

_"How do you do it?" _

_"It's really simple. All you do is fire a thundershock at each other at the same time, and somehow the electricity mixes and forms this shield around you both. If you put enough power into it, it seems unbreakable."_

_"So you _are _bonded then," _Chi concluded, almost to himself. A sick feeling bloomed in Pikachu's stomach.

_"…What does that mean?"_

_"It happens when two very close pikachu share their electricity," _Chi explained, not noticing Pikachu's sudden uneasiness. _"From then on their electricity will recognize each other, and they essentially share the same pool. They can share it with each other, and perform strange attacks, like your shield. It's pretty uncommon, though – most pairs aren't committed or close enough to try it." _

_"W-why?"_

_"Well, it's irreversible, that's why. _Ka,_ not quite – technically it _is _mostly reversible, but it's a very dangerous procedure. All of the pair's electricity would have to be drained and allowed to recharge naturally, free from contamination. Usually keeping the bond is preferable…even if the procedure is successful, the bond never truly disappears since some electricity must remain, and it can make future relationships…difficult. Also, bonding in the first place can backfire if the pair isn't close enough – their electricity would be incompatible, and their bodies would reject it. Also very dangerous. " _

_"How…does a bond like this form?" _Pikachu forced herself to ask, even though she was certain she already knew the answer. The bottom seemed ready to fall out of her stomach. Chi threw her a concerned, curious look, finally sensing something was amiss, but continued explaining without comment.

_"It's an old tradition called _chika_ – a focused sharing of electricity between two pikachu. Parents often use it to help their kits while they're learning control, since it can be used to calm an overcharged pikachu. But when two unrelated adults perform it successfully a bond is formed, and their electricity becomes attuned to each other." _

Pikachu nodded slowly, trying to think clearly over the clamour of her emotions. _"I was…separated from my clan before I learned about this," _she offered. _"I thought it was harmless. Are there any…side effects?"_

_"Besides the lifetime bond?" _Chi laughed. _"Not really. Oh, you might be overly sensitive to each other's presence for a time since your electricity will want to join again, and it takes some time for your body to get used to ignoring that pull. But it should wear off in a couple of days, at most."_

_"…Okay," _she said finally. _"Chi, I…I need to think about this. It was an accident, but…Ash…" _ She sighed. _"If you see Ash, could you tell him I've gone exploring?"_

"Pi," Chi agreed to her already retreating form. _"Oh, and Pikachu?" _

Pikachu paused but didn't turn, waiting.

_"The full moon is ten nights from now. We would be honoured if both of you would join us." _

After a moment Pikachu nodded in acknowledgement, and silently withdrew into the forest.

Her reaction was so muddled and strong that she spent a good half hour or so trying to calm down and determinedly not thinking about anything. In time the steady commotion of the forest soothed her, and she abandoned travel in favour of a tree. Nestled in the crook between branch and trunk, she laid her head on her paws and attempted to sort out her thoughts.

More than anything, she felt guilty. The guilt overwhelmed and tainted everything else about the situation, and the closer she examined it the sicker she felt. This was her fault. Ash had trusted her, and his reward was to be locked into a near-permanent bond without his consent. In her arrogant knowledge of all things electric she had misled him, and now he would pay for it. Ash had been amazingly comfortable with his pokemon form recently, but this was something he did not need. She may have just broken the thing that she wanted more than anything else in this world, more than she could even admit to herself.

Her feelings boiled up, threatening to overwhelm her again, and she was only dimly aware of the bolt of electricity she loosed in retaliation. Nevertheless, it helped; as did the sharp blow to her skull that came immediately after. Pain chased away the guilt, and Pikachu winced her way back to reality. She squinted up into the trees in time to see a fleeing winged shape, and decided she couldn't blame the bird pokemon, whatever it was. The grass at her feet had been reduced to little more than ashes, and all the trees facing her were scarred from her outburst.

She sighed and clamped down on herself, hard. What had Chi said? _Violence never solves anything. _She might not agree with the general principle, but it was definitely true in this case. She would have to tell Ash. There was nothing more to be done at this point; it was already too late to fix it, so it was time to fess up. Even if the bond was technically breakable, it wasn't feasible now. Neither of them could afford to be indisposed for however long it would take to recharge from empty. Pikachu gave a bitter laugh. She supposed she was now "spoiled" according to both species, and had managed to drag Ash's pikachu side down with her. There was no way the Pokemon Master would want to remain a pokemon now.

Pikachu rubbed at her eyes until stars flashed on the backs of her eyelids in a futile last attempt to ignore this moment of honesty with herself. Because that had been her goal, hadn't it? Or her dream, at least. The Mistress had implied that at the end of all of this, Ash would have a choice to make; and although Pikachu hadn't consciously acknowledged it at the time, her subconscious seemed to have latched onto the idea with an iron grip. In fact, now that she thought about it, the scenario spilled out into her mind fully formed, all the pieces falling into place like a well loved daydream. She would have her perfect partner, and they would live in the world they'd created, a world where pokemon lived free and peacefully alongside humans. There might be a…family, even. Anything was possible.

With her perfect future shining before her eyes, more possible than ever before, Pikachu felt something inside her harden. She still felt terribly guilty for ensnaring Ash like this without his consent, but what was done was done. There was no going back, at least not any time soon. This was her chance to take what she wanted and fight to keep it – and she wasn't going to let that chance slip away. She would fight for what she believed in, as she always had, but just this once she would also fight for herself. For what she wanted. She _would _see this future come to pass, and if that meant facing the most powerful trainers in the world and turning everything both she and Ash knew upside down, then so be it. She would face them, and she would win.

Because come gym battle, apocalypse or personal challenge, Pikachu always won when it truly mattered.

(o^. ^o)-/

The next ten days passed in a blur of training, laughter, plotting, and vague hints that flew completely over Ash's head. The black-cheeked pikachu continued his training with Pikachu and the others in the Ball, and improved in leaps and bounds. He grew proficient, or at least capable, with not only electricity but also physical attacks, dodging, and defensive moves. He even managed a basic light screen, something which Pikachu had never bothered to learn. Ash, on the other hand, maintained that he wanted to have a way to defend himself besides dodging, which he was less than confident with. Giving orders, he said, was very different from giving orders _and _trying to carry them out, especially when he didn't have a bird's eye view of everything. Pikachu could only nod agreeably to this, not really knowing what Ash was missing.

However, the light screen proved unexpectedly versatile. With some experimentation – in private or with just Chi, as Pikachu insisted to a bemused Ash – they discovered that if Pikachu added her own electricity to the screen it became a version of the blue shield they had created before, and stopped both elemental _and _physical attacks. Not only that, but the shield was now under Ash's control; he could move it, resize it, and shape it in virtually any way he wanted, with practice. Of course, the more area it covered the weaker and harder to maintain it became, but both pikachu agreed that it could be extremely useful.

Meanwhile Pikachu procrastinated on breaking her news to Ash, reasoning that the more time he had to grow used to his new form, the better. Chi only asked her about it once, and then was polite enough to leave her be. The same could not be said for the other pikachu. As the clan warmed up to the newcomers they began to make assumptions and somewhere down the line they picked up the notion that Ash and Pikachu were mates. Chi pleaded innocence, and Pikachu couldn't really accuse him. Thankfully no one said it outright, mainly just alluded to it in vague or culturally specific contexts, which meant that Ash remained cheerfully oblivious. But Pikachu knew her deadline was approaching. She even tried dropping a few hints herself in an attempt to gauge Ash's probable reaction, but she failed as spectacularly as everyone else.

The days passed, Ash got better, the clan grew friendlier, and the moon got fuller. Too soon for Pikachu's liking the clan's monthly celebration was upon them, and Pikachu knew that her time was up. If she had needed any more proof, Pidgeot's arrival the day before the celebration was it.

Pikachu and Ash had been sparring when she arrived, as they often were these days. Ash gave their practice battles his all, as he did with everything, and Pikachu held back until they were more or less evenly matched. Of course Ash could tell when and by exactly how much Pikachu was holding back, but he was not yet at the point where he could reasonably complain about it, so the sessions continued smoothly. Ash even managed to surprise Pikachu into a win quite a few times, and was quickly proving the usefulness of the light screen, even powered solo.

They were both powering up for an iron tail, streaking towards each other in symmetrical arcs when they heard the greeting call. In unison they veered away, tails dulling, and used their speed to circle back around before sliding to a stop. Side by side they watched as the huge brown bird flapped down to them.

_"Pidgeot!" _Ash cried happily, and Pikachu chimed in with her own happy greeting. The bird cooed softly in response. But Ash remained by Pikachu's side instead of running up for a hug, and Pidgeot did not move to give Ash a greeting nuzzle. Sadness pricked at Pikachu again as she witnessed more evidence of the rift between the once close friends.

_"We are ready to meet," _she informed them in gentle but almost formal tones. _"I was chosen to carry you back to the others, as we did not want to wait for you to walk back on your own."_

_"Thanks," _Ash grinned. _"I didn't want to wait for us either."_ When his small joke got no reaction, Ash sighed and glanced at Pikachu. Whatever he saw there caused him to close his eyes and drop his head, ears flattening defensively. When he looked up again, his eyes were shining with the same sadness that Pikachu felt, and an earnestness that took her breath away.

_"I know I've never said it, and I guess I'm only slowly realizing what a mistake that was. Some things you need to hear, no matter how much it's implied." _Ash swallowed, and Pikachu flashed back to their own recent conversation concerning Ash's transformation. Her skin prickled, and she shivered. _"So Pidgeot, here it is: I'm sorry. I always have been. I was and am sorry that I let you go, that I left you behind, and that I didn't come back when I said I would. I'm sorry that I listened to everyone's opinion but yours when deciding what was best for you. And I'm sorry that I've never truly apologized before now." _

As Pikachu watched, something in Pidgeot's gaze thawed that Pikachu hadn't even realized was frozen. The bird's eyes filled with gentle warmth, like melted chocolate. She let out a soft, joyous trill. But Ash wasn't finished.

_"It hurt more than you know to leave you behind that day," _Ash confessed, his face creasing in remembered pain but his gaze unwavering. _"But you were needed there, and I knew I didn't need you as much as they did. I did what I thought best for everyone at the time, and when I promised to come back I did mean it. But once I left I began to think about what a good life you could lead there, and I became convinced you would like it better there. I heard stories about your flock and how well it was doing, and I figured you were happy with them, happier than you could ever be with me. So I didn't look for you." _Ash paused and swallowed, finally turning his gaze to the sky. _"When you found me instead, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I actually felt guilty, like I'd still somehow taken you from your happier life. I guess it didn't help that you never seemed completely happy to be back, but it never occurred to me that _I _could be the reason for that." _Ash looked back at Pidgeot, his earnest gaze returning. _"So for once and for all, I'm glad to have you back. Gladder than glad. You were one of my first pokemon friends, one of my most trusted fighters, and I still count you as one of my best friends. So…" _Ash turned and stuck out his tail in the traditional pikachu handshake, _"we okay?" _

After a moment of befuddlement, Pidgeot reached out a huge clawed foot to gently grasp the lightning bolt tail for a single shake. _"We will be," _she murmured, eyes shining with relief but voice still soft. _"Ever since you caught me and I realized how lucky I was to have you as a trainer, all I've wanted is to make you proud. When you left me and didn't come back…I thought I'd let you down somehow, or that my evolving had made you not want me anymore. I wasn't sure how that could be, but you're not like other trainers, and we change so much when we evolve. It's never easy. The flock helped, but they could only do so much." _Pidgeot's voice wavered a bit and she closed her eyes, calming down. Pikachu moved forward and placed a small paw on her wing. There were many, many reasons she didn't want to evolve into a Raichu, and this was definitely one of them.

_"It wasn't like that," _Ash almost whispered. _"You've never let me down, not once. You're the most loyal pokemon I've ever had." _Pikachu bristled a bit at that but, after a moment of reflection on her early days, had to admit that he was right. Pidgeot lowered her head and gave Ash a small nuzzle that, despite her restraint, still sent the pikachu tottering.

_"I'm honoured," _she cooed._ "Thank you, Ash. Hearing your side has helped a great deal. But Ash, please know that I would have chosen to stay with you. I always will. And I'm sure all of your other pokemon would agree." _Ash nodded, his black eyes sparkling suspiciously.

_"You're not the only one, you know," _Pikachu put in casually before things got dangerously intense. _"He tried to get rid of me first. Didn't work of course, but only because I was wise to him by then. And he still came pretty close. Never once apologized for it, either." _Pikachu shot Ash a half teasing, half serious glance and was rewarded with his startled expression.

_"Uhh. I'm sorry?" _Ash tried, and Pikachu's look turned exasperated. She shot a small spark his way, and in his shock he failed to throw up the light screen that had not quite become reflexive. He let out an involuntary squeak of non-pain, and Pikachu couldn't hold in her laugh. Pidgeot joined her, opening her beak in a joyous, amused trill that echoed throughout the entire forest.

The rest of the day passed happily in Pidgeot's company as the bird took them flying and helped gather food for the night's celebration. It was the clan's custom to have a feast of the month's best harvest on the night of the full moon, and all adults were expected to contribute if they wanted to join in. After a bit of nagging they even convinced the bird to come back with them and take part in the celebration; after all, she was bringing food.

With the wind in her fur and the easy companionship of her friends, Pikachu was almost able to forget her approaching doom. But the daylight hours could only stretch so long, and soon enough the sun was setting and Pidgeot was winging her way back to the clan, the two pikachu perched on her back. Pikachu found herself wishing that the bird wasn't quite so well trained; did they really need to go so fast?

Pidgeot landed in the middle of the clearing amidst all the bustling pikachu, somehow managing to avoid stepping on any. The commotion she caused was incredible, and when Ash and Pikachu leapt from her back they were bombarded. Even the suspicious Ki (admittedly made less suspicious since he had started training with 'Red') added his own questions to the general clamour. Eventually Chi shoved his way forward, pushed a hopping Pip firmly back to the ground, and asked with barely concealed amusement if they had a new guest.

Despite their initial reluctance – pidgeots _were _known to eat kits occasionally, after all – the clan decided in short order that the amount of food the bird had provided more than made up for her presence. The fact that there were no kits currently in the clan probably helped.

And then the sun sank completely below the horizon, and as the last pastel lights faded from the sky the celebration began.

It began quietly, and at first most closely resembled a large buffet dinner. Ash gorged himself on the impressive array of fruits, nuts and berries that the clan had assembled, and exclaimed more than once that pikachu food was amazing. Pikachu enjoyed herself at a more sedate pace, and for her the meal was a nostalgic one; Brock's pokefood was delicious, yes, but it couldn't compare to a traditional meal like this. Even Pidgeot seemed to be enjoying herself, feasting on the nuts in particular, but noticeably taking less than the pikachu around her, despite her size. Pikachu shared a soft look with Ash, who had also noticed, and they both slowed down a bit.

It didn't take long, however, for the yearlings to begin their games. The young pikachu had access to far more sugar than normal on this night, and they had taken full advantage of it. Various games sprung up across the clearing, and the air was soon filled with happy chatter and stray sparks of electricity. Ash, probably on a sugar high himself, was quickly drawn into a game of electric tag, and Pikachu was roped into joining a sparring contest between some of the older pikachu. She kept getting distracted by the game around her however, and this was probably Ash's fault; the black-cheeked pikachu kept darting by and "tagging" her even though she was obviously not playing. When the other youngsters caught on to the new aspect of the game and began to follow Ash's lead, she gave up and joined them. The game soon devolved into a single-minded chase between her and Ash, and ended predictably with them slumped together in a panting heap while the young ones gathered around and shocked the life out of them both. Eventually Ash threw up a light screen in self defense, and the mob of young pikachu bored of their victory and settled for tagging one of their own.

Their chase had led them slightly into the forest and far enough that the sounds of the celebration had faded to background noise, and now that the tiny mob had dispersed the sound of their breathing seemed unnaturally loud. Pikachu could still see the electric light through the trees but it was a dim, inconsistent glow.

She wasn't going to get a better opportunity.

"Pikapi," she began, and then stalled. How to say it? _"I…may have made a mistake."_

_"What are you talking about, Pikachu?"_ Ash asked, turning to face her. He was still grinning from the chase, his cheeks flushed slightly and his eyes sparkling. Pikachu was dazzled, and took a moment to recover her train of thought.

_"Uh, I mean, well,"_ she stumbled, _"remember back at that boy's house, when you got captured? And I helped you…decharge?"_

_"Yeah?"_ Ash agreed. Total open innocence. Pikachu winced internally.

_"It's…well, it's been a while since I've done that, and I forgot some of the rules andsowerebondednow."_

Ash blinked at her. _"What?"_

Pikachu sighed and dragged her courage out kicking and screaming from whatever mental crevice it had been hiding in. _"Apparently it's only used between family members or sometimes mates because of how electricity is related, and if you do it and you're not, you become…that."_ Pikachu wanted to shock herself. She should have just asked Chi to explain it. How did she expect _Ash _to understand that mess?

But incredibly, Ash looked thoughtful, as if gears were actually starting to turn in his head. _"So because we shared electricity, now our electricity is somehow connected?"_ It was Pikachu's turn to blink in astonishment, but Ash wasn't done. _"Is that why we can do that shield?"_

"Pi," she confirmed after a moment of mixed amazement and pride_. "That's exactly it. Every electric pokemon has a slightly different type of electricity, even close family members, which is why two electric types can fight each other instead of just conducting this giant electric stream. But now we _do_ conduct. Our bodies recognize each other's electricity as our own. We can never hurt each other with electricity because we'll just absorb it. We can't be beaten until we're _both _exhausted, because one can just recharge the other. Do you understand?"_ But of course he understood. How could she have forgotten? No matter how confusing and awkward she was being, she was still his Pikachu and he was her Pikapi. Soothing calm settled over her, and her resolve hardened even more. Of course he understood.

"_There are so many ways we could use this,"_ Ash muttered, obviously entranced by the possibilities_. "The shield was just the beginning. With more practice, we could be unbeatable."_ He raised his eyes to hers again, wide and excited_. "This is so great! Pikachu, we're unstoppable!" _

_"Wait, Ash. There's a bit more to it."_ Pikachu swallowed. This was the really hard part. _"When this kind of connection happens between two unrelated pikachu, they're…bonded. Apparently only a very close pair can bond, and it can be pretty dangerous if it fails. Typically, it's only done between older, very dedicated…mates. There are ways of breaking the bond, but that can be just as dangerous, especially for a wild pikachu."_

Ash took very little time to digest this. _"Oh. Okay. So you're saying this is basically permanent?"_

_"Not exactly, but…we won't be able to break it until all of this is over, at least."_

_"It won't affect me if I'm not a pikachu though, right?"_

The question puzzled Pikachu, and she took a moment to consider it. "Chu…_People don't have electricity, so I don't see how it could."_

Ash nodded decisively. _"Well, it won't be a problem then, since I won't be a pikachu anymore when this whole mess is over anyways."_

Pikachu was completely floored. "…Pi…ka?"

Ash winced visibly and pushed himself fully upright to focus completely on his friend. _"Celebi said it was only temporary,"_ he said gently, carefully. _"When I don't need it anymore, she's going to take away my ability to transform. I'll just be me again."_ Finally, Pikachu understood. Ash didn't even realize he had a choice to make.

_"Ash…_Pikapi…" She paused, marshalling her courage for one last hurrah. The distant sounds of celebration that seeped through the trees only served to emphasize the sudden silence between the two friends. When Pikachu spoke again her words barely broke the silence, so soft she almost thought she was imagining them, but they were there. "Celebi never said which form you'd have to settle _in_."

And with that her courage deserted her and she fled, back to the lights and the sound and the cheer. She would give him time to think around that bombshell now. Later, the clan would finish the night with the traditional moon-song and Ash, because he was Ash and she was Pikachu, would know what to do.

(o^. ^o)

Ash didn't move for a long time after Pikachu left, which was unusual for him. Normally when he was in the grip of a strong emotion he _had_ to move, and would run or fight or swim or something until he was reasonable again. But this…this wasn't an emotion per se. He was just simply stunned, and his mind was trying to make sense of the new possibilities that had just opened to him. _He could stay a pikachu._

He was surprised the idea hadn't occurred to him before. Yes, the Mistress had said he couldn't keep the ability to transform, but she'd also said something about discussing it later. He had just assumed that he'd settle into his human form at the end, and since that was so _obvious_, it wasn't even worth wondering whether he had a choice.

_But what if? What if I didn't go back?_

It was something to consider, for sure. After all, what did he have left to accomplish? He was the Pokemon Master, unchallenged, universally acknowledged to be the best pokemon trainer in the world. What goals were left to him? And if it was simple unpredictable adventure he was after, he could do that in any form. In fact, wandering the world as a pokemon might just be the change he was looking for.

Plus he would have Pikachu with him, and all his other pokemon. Of course he'd have them no matter what he chose, but not in the same way, not as close – especially Pikachu. And Ash wasn't quite sure what he meant by _that_, since Pikachu was the only one he had been able to understand pre-Mistress, but he still knew it was true. Something had been different about Pikachu since he had been changed, especially since he had gotten captured. He wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't _seem_ to be a bad thing so he was just letting it run its course, whatever that was. He was glad she hadn't exploded when he mentioned changing back, but this was almost worse in a way. For some reason his choice seemed to matter a great deal to Pikachu, too much. If he discarded his pikachu form after all of this, he wasn't sure what it would do to her. That scared him more than a little.

But it would be permanent. Was he ready to give up the life he'd known for twenty years for…what? A new perspective on life? A new way to experience the world? And his friends, his mom…they wouldn't understand him as a pikachu, if they even knew it was him. Could he really give them up too?

Ash shook his head. He didn't have to decide now. He had plenty of time to…what was it Gary was always saying? …Plenty of time to collect additional data. Maybe he could even get Pikachu to tell him why it mattered so very much.

Distantly he noticed that a strange silence had fallen over the forest, and realized that the happy sounds from the clearing had ceased. He pricked his ears curiously but the silence continued. Curiosity building, Ash padded to the edge of the trees and poked his head out into the clearing. Immediately he realized what was happening.

All the pikachu had gathered into the center of the clearing, forming a loose ring with Chi at the center. The full moon was at its peak, and the clearing was as well lit as if it had been daylight, with each blade of grass casting a blue-tinted shadow. The pikachu's fur shone and sparkled, dancing with slight electricity, and the ring began to glow softly. Chi's solemn voice drifted across the field to Ash.

"Ka-cha. _Another cycle has passed. We now take a moment to appreciate everything this cycle has brought us, but also to mourn what it has taken away. For this one moment we will stop time's endless flow. Listen to the silence; the trees no longer whisper, and the wind waits for us."_ There was a moment of utter, total silence, and even Ash found himself holding his breath. "Cha-ka. _Wish, and let the wind hear your dreams."_

All the pikachu closed their eyes at this, all except two. Pikachu turned silently to face Ash from her spot in the closest side of the loop, and their eyes locked. Hers seemed to plead with him, and Ash got the impression she was wishing with her eyes open. As silently as he could, Ash made his way across the clearing towards her and slipped into the spot at her side. Pikachu seemed to glow brighter as he approached, and her eyes shone with this complex but _good _look she had picked up lately. When he settled in beside her she gave him a nuzzle that morphed into a sort of burrowing motion where Pikachu ended with her head tucked neatly under Ash's chin and stayed there. After brief consideration Ash decided he didn't really mind and closed his eyes.

_Wish…I wish… _

The wind ruffled his fur and Pikachu's as if impatient for an answer, and brought him the earthy smells of nature, the gentle spice of night, and the unique honey-like scent of Pikachu. He felt the cool grass under his feet, the night at his back, and Pikachu at his side. He felt home.

_I wish it could always be this simple. _

It wasn't a proper wish, Ash realized, and he knew he really ought to have wished something about world peace and people and pokemon living together happily, but at this moment it all seemed surreal. Right now, in this forest, none of that life-shattering, world-changing conflict seemed real or relevant. Right now he just knew that he was content and wanted to remain so.

Ash wasn't sure when the singing started or who started it, but he automatically added his own voice as the sound started to swell. Pikachu straightened beside him and started singing as well, but he barely had time to mourn the loss of contact before a tail hooked into his own. Still slightly unused to having a tail – it was easy to forget it most of the time, and it wasn't like he could see it – Ash found the sensation a bit strange, but reassuring in an odd way.

Everyone was singing now, and the circle began to sway in time to the song. Pip broke out of the circle and jumped on Chi's head, singing at the top of her little lungs. Uka and Ki stood together on the opposite side of the loop, alternately staring at each other and the moon, their tails swaying together behind them. A winged shadow passed over the moon, and a joyous trill rippled through the air. The clan didn't even blink at the great bird's cry, and Pidgeot's call became part of the song. Pikachu sang and her eyes shone, looking as if her wish had already come true.

"_Pi pi, ka pikachuuuu…" _

Things were simple and for now, Ash was content.

-------------

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